Elysium: Realm of Eternal EDventure
by ThePopcornFairy
Summary: A new online game has hit the market, and all three Eds have joined in the fun. During a typical day of gameplay, they agree to partake in a special quest and wind up with more than they bargained for. Now Ed the Warrior, Edd the Mage and Eddy the Ninja must come together on an epic journey through Elysium: Realm of Eternal Adventure.
1. Loading

**Elysium: Realm of Eternal EDventure**

**Chapter 1: Loading…**

_Greetings, weary traveler. You have just entered a land beyond your imagination. A land of prosperity, of opportunity, of magic, monsters and unparalleled wonder. In this land, people of all ages, gender and race have gathered and are ready for adventures of all kinds._

_Here, you will make friends, battle foes, go on quests and journeys unlike anything you could ever dream of, and discover the power that lies within you. And this is only the beginning, for when you enter this new world, you will become part of something greater than you could imagine. Danger is brewing, young traveler, and you may possess the skills needed to combat it. If you are ready and willing to become part of this grand new world, then take this first step and prepare for the experience of a lifetime._

_Welcome… to __**ELYSIUM: Realm of Eternal Adventure.**_

* * *

…

Edd stared at his laptop's screen, unsure of what was supposed to happen next. The introduction had just finished and now he was being told to create a profile. Was it asking for his actual information or was he supposed to build his avatar now?

Heck, Edd wasn't even sure how he got talked into this. Shortly after this game was released, it exploded with buzz and critical acclaim, and soon almost everyone he knew was going crazy for _Elysium._ Ed, Eddy, Kevin, Nazz, Sarah… even Jimmy and Jonny! Probably the only people in the cul-de-sac who didn't play _Elysium_ were Rolf, due to his family's lack of a computer, Plank, because apparently he had gone hipster and didn't want to abide by mainstream culture (Seriously, what?), and up until today, Edd.

But, at last, Ed and Eddy had pestered him into it, he had paid for membership, and now here he was, dumbfounded by the vague instructions of a program Edd had no experience with. Outside of a small number of platforming and Wii games, Edd was no gamer, and he wasn't by any means a role-player. So to be thrust into this sort of cornucopia of imagination for no reason other than peer pressure didn't sound like the most enjoyable thing in the world.

So… yeah. Create a profile. What did that imply?

With an exasperated sigh, Edd stuck his headset on and contacted Ed and Eddy. No doubt they would be playing.

"_Hello! I am __Edon, Master of the Claws of Shock! Child of the Lightning of Luna! Defender of-!"_

"Ed, it's me."

"_Oh. Hi, Double D! Where are you?"_

"Um… Nowhere. I-"

"_Hey, Lump-anthrope!" _Eddy's voice cut in. _"Is that Double D? Has he joined in yet?"_

"Not yet," Edd replied. "I'm just creating my profile."

"_Aw, sweet!"_

"_Huzzah!"_

"But, uh… Quick question. Am I supposed to create my character now or enter my actual information?"

"_Geez. I thought you were the smart one."_

"Eddy, give me some credit! This is my first attempt at joining any kind of massively multiplayer online role-playing-"

"_Okay, okay! First you type in your real name and all that stuff. Don't worry; it won't be displayed for anyone but your friends to see."_

"Okay…" With that cleared up, Edd entered his first and last name, his birthday, his email address and a few other attributes. Upon hitting enter, he was told that an activation key had been sent to his email, which he promptly opened, copied and pasted into the box below, allowing him to continue.

After loading briefly, he was brought to the character customization page…

At the very top of the page was the space where Edd would eventually enter his username. Underneath it, the first attribute asked of him was **species,** and the choices were Human, Elf, Fairy, Vampire, Lycanthrope and something called a Drake, which appeared to Edd to be some sort of human-dragon hybrid. Next was **class,** the options for which were Warrior, Mage and Ninja. Then there was **element:** Fire, Ice, Shock, Light and Shadow. And finally there were the typical stations where he would select height, skin tone, hair, eyes, clothes, accessories and anything else he wanted. All of this was next to an empty space that would eventually be filled by Edd's developing character.

"Alright," Edd said into his headset. "I'm creating my avatar now. Any suggestions?"

"_I'm a Lycanthrope!"_ Ed proudly declared, his howling forcing Edd to lower his volume. _"Yesiree, a Lycanthrope Shock Warrior!"_

"_And I'm a Human Fire Ninja,"_ Eddy added. _"So why don't you do something different so our inner circle will have some variety?"_

The idea sounded decent enough to Edd. That ruled out Human and Lycanthrope, not that the latter necessarily appealed to him. After some debating, Edd decided to be an Elf, selecting Mage as his class and eventually choosing Light to be his element. Then, after some tweaking, he created an avatar that looked as similar to himself as he could get: medium height, minimal muscle, cream-colored skin, blue eyes, shoulder-length black hair. For his wardrobe, he selected an orange robe with yellow trim and a sash, white pants, sandals, a black headband with white and yellow gems, and a white, beaded necklace.

"Hmm… Username. What should my username be?"

"_Ooh, ooh! One moment, please…"_ Ed seemed to be looking something up. A minute later, his voice filled Edd's headset again. _"The Elvin name for 'Eddward' is 'Elrohir'."_

"Elrohir," Edd repeated. "I suppose it's as fine a moniker as anything else. Could you spell that, Ed?"

Ed did so and Edd typed it in the username box. Once complete, Edd confirmed his avatar's credentials and was thrust into the game.

The first thing Edd did when it began was observe everything on his screen. His character was in a mostly-empty, white-walled room occupied only by a window, a bed and a door. "Um… Okay. What do I do now?"

"_I take it you're in your room,"_ Eddy said.

"I suppose so."

"_Yeah, there's not much to it at first. You can buy stuff to decorate your house with as time goes on."_

"_Maybe he should check out the enclosed instruction book,"_ Ed suggested, giggling at the aforementioned internet meme.

"That might be a good idea," Edd replied, reaching for the game's case on his nightstand and pulling out the booklet inside.

After reading up on gameplay controls, Edd experimentally hit the "I" button on his keyboard, causing several things to fade into existence in the corners of his screen. In the top left corner were two meters labeled "Health" and "Stamina". In the top right was a table labeled "Doles"; listed underneath it was "Platinum: 0", "Gold: 25", "Silver: 50" and "Copper: 200" that seemed to be stashed in a pre-equipped satchel. In the bottom left was another table that measured Skill Points in Alteration, Conjuration, Destruction, Illusion, Restoration and Enchantment, each currently measured at zero. And in the bottom right was a small map of the area with a red dot indicating Edd's location; underneath, it read "Sky Lands: Lux Village".

"Alright, I'm in Lux Village," Edd told his friends.

"_Yep, that's the starting point for all Light users,"_ Eddy responded. "_You might wanna stay in the Sky Lands until you rank up a little."_

"What do you suggest I do?"

"_Your best bet? Get a job and enroll in a Mage School. Keeps the money and the skill points flowing."_

"Fair enough." With that, Edd left the house and started walking around the village, ready to begin his gaming experience.

* * *

Edd quickly learned that time flies when playing video games. To his surprise, _Elysium_ quickly grew on him, and by sundown he had earned a few more silver doles and enrolled in St. Eos First-Level Academy for Mages. Despite the fact that they were in a fantasy world of elves, dragons and the like, there was an impressive level of realism to the game.

But now Edd was returning to his home, where he would put his avatar to sleep, shut down and give himself some much-needed shut-eye.

"Alright, fellows," he told Ed and Eddy. "I'm turning in for the night."

"_Aw, so soon?"_ Ed whined.

"_You haven't even ranked up any skill points yet!"_ Eddy reasoned.

"Yes, but it's late and we have school in the morning. I suggest you fellows follow suit."

"_Hey, you're still new to this. You haven't seen how hardcore this can get,"_ Eddy said.

"_Yeah, once you really dive in, you never wanna stop,"_ Ed agreed.

"Well, I suppose I'm not there yet," Edd chuckled. "I'll see you fellows in the morning. In the real world, I presume-"

"_Hold up, Double D,"_ Eddy cut in.

As he asked himself what had caught Eddy's attention, Edd caught sight of a strange, angelic-looking figure on his screen. The exclamation mark over his head signified that he had something to say to Edd. Unable to hold back his curiosity, Edd walked up and initiated a conversation with him.

_Greetings, noble Light Elf,_ the angel said to him.

_Hello,_ Edd typed back. _What troubles you?_

_I have a special quest for a brave, young Mage like yourself. Are you interested in such an endeavor?_

Edd raised an eyebrow, unable to comprehend these implications. _That depends. What is this "quest" you speak of?_

_Should you choose to accept this, you and a select few will be brought forth to travel the hills, the plains, the mountains, the valleys, and the seas of our fair lands on an adventure to save Elysium as we know it. I warn you, though, this quest is not for the faint of heart, but you will always have friends by your side to aid you._

"Um…" Edd awkwardly pushed his headset's microphone closer to his mouth. "Ed, Eddy, there's an… _angel_ offering to send me on a special quest."

"_Yeah, me too,"_ Eddy replied.

"_Same here,"_ Ed happily said. _"I wanna save Elysium!"_

"_Yeah, I'm up for the challenge! What say you, Double D?"_

"I don't know. I'm still so new at this…"

"_Ask the angel how long it will take,"_ Ed offered.

Edd shrugged and resumed typing. _I've only just enrolled in a school. If I accept, will I still have the opportunity to learn and expand my skill?_

_By all means,_ the angel responded. _This quest shall last you as long as you please and will not subdue you from your other duties in Elysium._

"Hmm…"

"_Go for it, Sockhead!"_ Eddy chided. _"What better way to rank up than this?"_

"_I'm doing it!"_ Ed cheered. _"Eddy?"_

"_Oh, you know I am!"_

Edd smiled and sighed. If Ed and Eddy were up for whatever this mission implied, he might as well give it a try too. After all, how serious could this be? It was just a game.

_Very well, good sir,_ Edd typed. _I accept your challenge._

_Excellent. Now, rest easy, noble Mage. Your ultimate adventure shall begin at the break of dawn._

Then, just like that, the angel disappeared in a burst of light.

"Okay then…" Completely dumbfounded by what he just witnessed, Edd continued on to his house. He found himself questioning what he had just agreed to. Did this mean he would play a greater role in the game now? And he agreed to it just like that? Why didn't he think this through more?

It just didn't make any sense. Who was that? What role did he play in the game? What was he expecting out of Edd? Why was he asking this of someone who had only played the game for one day? He couldn't understand what any of this meant or how it was going to affect future gameplay.

He sighed, finding no point in dwelling on something this trivial. Without any further thought, Edd put his character to bed and closed out. "Well, good night, gentlemen."

"_Sleep well, Elrohir,"_ Ed responded. _"Tomorrow our journey of epic proportions shall begin!"_

"Yes, it certainly will, Ed," Edd tiredly played along.

"_See ya tomorrow, Double D,"_ Eddy said.

With their final good-byes said and done, Edd removed his headset, put his laptop away and prepared for a good night's sleep. After showering and putting on his night clothes, he buried himself under his bed sheets and dozed off.

Down the street, Ed and Eddy eventually called it quits too, heading off to bed in anticipation of tomorrow's events. As they slept and pleasantly dreamed, the trio remained blissfully unaware of the chain of events that had been set into motion.

* * *

**Guide to Elysium:**

Species and Stats

**Human  
**Speed: Average  
Strength: High  
Agility: Average  
Endurance: Low  
Special Ability: Willpower- Even when health and stamina are low, a human's will allows them to keep fighting, mentally adding more to each bar. More is added when ranked up.

**Elf  
**Speed: Average  
Strength: Average  
Agility: High  
Endurance: High  
Special Ability: Regeneration- An elf's health and stamina are replenished at a rate much faster than any other playable species. It can even regenerate from near-death, albeit slower than at greater health.

**Fairy  
**Speed: High  
Strength: Low  
Agility: High  
Endurance: Average  
Special Ability: Flight- Like many transportation creatures, fairies can fly and attack from the air. This will slowly drain their stamina, though, and they are more easily affected by wind drafts.

**Vampire  
**Speed: High  
Strength: High  
Agility: Average  
Endurance: Average (Low against sunlight)  
Special Ability: Bite- Vampires can bite other players either to drain them of blood (thereby restoring health by draining theirs) or turn them into a vampire as well. Those turned can be cured; those who start out as vampires cannot.

**Lycanthrope** (when not in wolf form, stats are equal to that of a human's) **  
**Speed: High  
Strength: High  
Agility: Average  
Endurance: High  
Special Ability: Transformation- Lycanthropes will transform during full moons. They can also transform at will, though staying in this form will drain their stamina and requires experience to stay in this form for long; this can be used once every twelve in-game hours.

**Drake  
**Speed: Average  
Strength: High  
Agility: Average  
Endurance: High  
Special Ability: Glide- Though a drake's wings cannot support flight, they are capable of gliding on updrafts or in downward angles. This can be used to perform powerful strikes.

* * *

A/N: Well, this certainly came out of nowhere. Yes, after drawing inspiration from a number of works, I have begun a new EEnE fanfic, this time putting the Eds in a fantasy-based video game story. I'm sure you can all guess where this is going, but still, I see great potential in this concept.

Just a few things I ought to say off the bat: First, to clear any confusion, this story will be comprised of several different story arcs. No, Edd will not be the main focus of the story; all three Eds will be equally represented. I just wanted to write this chapter from his point of view so as to jump into the story immediately while also coherently introducing _Elysium_ to the readers (because of course he would be the last to jump on the bandwagon). Oh, and some future action scenes may get a little bloody.

Well, you've been warned. Now read on!


	2. Dawn Breaks

**Chapter 2: Dawn Breaks**

Edd roused very slowly, taking his sweet time in drawing himself out of his dream world and into reality. Sunlight shone through the windows and bathed him in their warm glow, allowing him to peacefully welcome the morning.

Wait a minute…

How could the sun be this high? Edd had set his alarm for 6:00. The sun would barely have started rising at that hour.

Panic slowly started settling in. Had he forgot to turn his alarm clock on? Had he set it for PM instead of AM? Good God, he slept in! He was late for school!

"AAH!" Edd leapt out of bed and made a mad dash for his dresser, only to quickly discover that it was gone.

Edd paused momentarily, hoping to calm down a little and figure out what was going on. It finally dawned on him that this wasn't his usual bedroom. Everything was white, from the walls to the carpet to the ceiling to the bed, which was the only thing in this room besides the windows and the clothes hanging up on the wall.

And those clothes… they weren't his either. Orange robe with yellow trim, white pants, sandals resting on the floor beneath them…

Hold on. This was his mage uniform. And this room… it was his house in _Elysium._

But if that was the case, did that mean…?

Edd reached up and grabbed his ears, squeaking in surprise when he felt how pointed they had become. For nearly a minute, he simply kept running his fingers along them, gauging their length and shape. Eventually, he managed to draw his hands away and study his hair, which was somewhat longer than he remembered it being. His skin also seemed to be a shade or two lighter and his muscles a little more trimmed than usual.

As if in an attempt to prove himself wrong, Edd ran to the window. Outside, he didn't see the cul-de-sac. He instead saw rows upon rows of houses, set up like an estate with an old-world feel. Down the street, he saw markets and places for public gathering, and somewhere not too far off was a castle-like building with an oddly college-like feel. And the people… Humans, elves, fairies and dragon-like people accompanied by horses and pegasai.

Edd understood now. He was in Elysium.

Even still, he couldn't believe it. He shivered once, closed his eyes and pinched himself, wholly expecting to wake up in his own bed. After several attempts, he was still firmly rooted to the floor of his virtual room.

Edd grabbed his head and tried to normalize his breathing. He wanted to believe this was a dream despite his failed attempts at returning to reality, but somehow this didn't _feel_ like a dream. That indescribable sense of indulgence that usually came with dreams wasn't present. But it _had_ to be a dream! Why else would he be in this fantasy world?

A key detail from last night's events finally dawned on him. That angel that foretold of a grand adventure that Edd blindly accepted. Did he somehow…?

_No. No, that's ridiculous, Eddward._

Then again, he was an elf. "Ridiculous" had no meaning anymore.

"Wait… If this is happening to me… does that mean that Ed and Eddy are…?"

* * *

"_ACHOO!_"

Bits of grain and hay were sent flying around the corner of the stable. Its resident horse whinnied in surprise and backed away a few steps as the source of the sneeze sat up.

Ed scratched himself and brushed off the itchy hay, squinting his eyes against the light pouring in through the stable windows. How did he get here? Had he been sleepwalking again? Rolf wouldn't be too happy to see the Ed-boy cooped up in his backyard.

It took Ed a while to remember that Rolf didn't have horses. When he did, Ed quickly stood up and looked around. The barn he had wound up in was filled with rows of stables, occupied by both ordinary and winged horses. The sight of them made his eyes sparkle; he had never seen a real pegasus before.

Suddenly, Ed's stomach heaved and he finally noticed the pounding in his head. He looked down and noticed that he wasn't dressed in his normal nighttime attire. He was wearing the torn remains of a green uniform, and his yellowish skin was marked with cuts here and there.

Wheels started turning in Ed's bogged-down brain. The stable, the uniform, waking up in an unfamiliar place after what was surely a hard night… Why did this ring a bell?

When a crazy idea struck, Ed moved to the nearest window and looked outside. Sure enough, he was greeted by miles of rolling farmlands under a blue sky marked with soft grey clouds. Off in the distance, Ed could see the houses, markets and schools that made up the local village. On the horizon was a shining sea, and on the other end was a high mountain that reached up and kissed the sky.

"Fulgur Village," Ed said to himself. "The Thunder Lands."

Just outside, Ed suddenly heard someone shouting. No doubt it was the plantation owner come to see who was bothering his horses. Hopeful that all elements of his gameplay were in effect, Ed double-checked his person, overjoyed to see that his trusty sword, which he affectionately dubbed "Flash Fang", was tucked in its sheath and hanging on his waist. He didn't know if he would need it or not, but if worst came to worst…

The barn doors flew open and Ed was soon spotted by the owner. A human, and a warrior judging by his attire. "What the devil are you doing in my barn?!"

"Sorry, sir." Ed bowed respectfully. It was at that moment that he remembered that last night he had transformed into a werewolf and battled a horde of shock specters before shutting the game down. Explained a lot, really. "I must have stumbled in here last night. Guess I lost control after transforming."

"Oh, great, another Lycanthrope." The man drew his sword. "Well, you best not be attempting to steal any of these here horses."

"Oh, no, good sir," Ed replied. "I can assure you I have no intention of bringing any harm to these fair creatures."

The man inspected Ed, as if to check whether or not he was being genuine. After a while, he put his sword away. "I'll let you off with a warning. Don't let me see you near my barn again or you _will_ be sorry."

"Understood." Ed nodded and climbed out of the stable, hastily making his way for the exit.

"What's your name, warrior?"

Ed froze. What should he say? Should he give the man his real name or his username? After all, in this world, he wasn't really "Ed".

He smiled, turned to the landowner and said with an overdramatic pose, "I am _Edon: Warrior of the Howls of Lightning!_"

The man stepped back, surprised by Ed's enthusiasm. "Well, get going. I don't want to be seeing you around here."

"As you wish." Ed bowed one last time and took off.

Once he was far away from the man's land, he started spinning around and laughing like the goofball he was. Ed could hardly hold back his joy. He couldn't believe he was actually in Elysium! The possibilities! The adventures! All the things he would be able to do!

So this was what that Shock Guardian meant when he offered him that quest. Ed was expecting something awesome, but never in a million years did he think he would actually be here in the flesh.

As he made his way back to the village to change and begin his voyage, Ed decided something then and there: "I gotta find Eddy and Double D!"

* * *

Eddy stared out the window, not exactly sure how to react. He was still a tired mess despite the fact that he had been given extra time to sleep in, and being only half awake, it was hard to differentiate between reality and fantasy.

So as he looked around at the bustling Ignis Village outside his bedroom window, Eddy remained uncertain if he was still dreaming or is this was really happening.

He shook himself off and got out of bed, taking some time to inspect the room. The bed right next to the window, the side table, the dresser, the vanity, the rugs… all of them some varying shade of red, orange, yellow or white. It may have been similar, as he had designed his Elysium bedroom to be, but this wasn't the room he fell asleep in.

"O… kay… What the heck…?"

As his mind slowly but fully turned on, Eddy started to grasp the fact that he wasn't in Peach Creek anymore. But the question still remained if this was real or just a really bizarre, realistic dream.

Ultimately, Eddy decided he didn't give a crap either way and simply rolled with it. If this was a dream, he'd wake up eventually and simply gripe about this missed opportunity the following morning. If not… well, he'd get to that later once he figured out if the others were here too.

After putting on his ninja uniform -a one-piece, skin-tight red garment with orange and yellow flames on the sleeves, legs and torso, a yellow sash, red boots and a red mask, the latter of which he left off for now- Eddy stepped outside, casually looking up and down the streets. Everything looked exactly like they did in the game. There was the armory, there was the herb shop, there was Brimstone Tavern, just down the street was the Mage school campus, over the horizon was Mount Ardor… Yep, the Blaze Lands looked no different up close than they did through his monitor.

"Hmm…"

As he came to terms with being in Elysium, Eddy started to wonder if he still had all the abilities he had earned over months of gameplay. Ever curious, he experimentally ran down the street and took a big leap onto the nearest awning, then effortlessly bounded onto the rooftops.

"Oh yeah, baby!"

Quickly getting into this, Eddy pulled his mask over his face and continued to jump from rooftop to rooftop, flipping and posing with every leap. He couldn't help but laugh and whoop at the discovery of his agility; he'd never felt anything quite like the rush he felt now, and it was simply breathtaking.

As he neared the Chiratsuki Second-Level Academy for Ninjas, Eddy swooped into the nearest alleyway and became one with the shadows. From there he snuck around the corner as quietly as a cat, quickly moving from building to tree to wall and finally onto a ledge, flawlessly keeping out of sight.

His wide smile curved the mouth guard of his mask. If there was still any possibility that this was a dream, Eddy did everything in his power to keep it from ending.

Finally, he swooped down from his perch and landed in the campus garden, striking a pose for all to see. He was rewarded by a couple dozen people's applause, which he boastfully accepted like a self-gratifying star.

"Hey, Eito!"

At the sound of his username, Eddy turned around and came face-to-face with a familiar ninja. This little thorn in his side, a drake in a blue and white uniform that went by the name of Nanpu, had been harassing him ever since the earliest days of his enrollment in ninja school. Even though Eddy knew for a fact he wasn't Kevin, his rivalry with him was strongly reminiscent of his and Shovel-Chin's.

"Is there ever a moment in your life when you _aren't_ showing off?" Nanpu sharply questioned.

Eddy removed his mask and smirked at him. "I can't help it if I have too much greatness to hold all at once. Besides, this school would get boring without me."

"You think you're better than everyone here?"

"No, but I _am_ pretty darn good."

"You know what? I've had just about enough of you, _baka._ It's time I straightened you out."

"So what? Now you're a ninja _and_ a chiropractor?"

"Oh, that's it!"

Months of tension between the two finally came crashing down as Nanpu launched a barrage of throwing stars at Eddy. Startled and lacking the time to fully react, Eddy tumbled out of the way quickly enough to dodge most of the stars but not enough to miss them completely, earning scratched on his face and left arm.

"It's on now, snake boy!" Eddy chided, pushing himself off the ground, flipping through the air and preparing to connect his foot to Nanpu's head. Nanpu jumped aside and knocked Eddy's leg off course. Eddy used this momentum to swing around and chop Nanpu in the head, a move that made many in the audience groan in sympathetic pain.

For a while, Eddy and Nanpu simply attacked each other with a series of punches, chops and kicks, mixed in with some dodges and submission holds. They seemed evenly matched, swiftly avoiding much of each other's attacks while hardly acting fazed by the ones that landed.

Eventually, though, Nanpu started attacking with fire. While Eddy was pausing briefly to catch his breath, Nanpu unleashed an arrangement of Fire Runes that Eddy just barely jumped out of the way of.

_Oh yeah. Forgot about that._

As he continued to dodge Nanpu's attacks, Eddy attempted to charge up his own fire powers. All the while, the drake taunted him as he ran around near-helplessly. Eddy scowled, knowing he wasn't used to having to physically wield these powers; he had always handled them with a push of a button. He tried focusing his energy and aggression into his hands, and with a hopeful flick, fire engulfed his palms.

"Oh, _heck_ yes!"

Ready for action again, Eddy jumped, flipped and launched a Firebolt at his opponent, hitting him dead-on.

"HA!" While he was recovering, Eddy did a spinning kick, knocking Nanpu off his feet. He stood back up and the two resumed their combat. This time, with Nanpu's health and stamina having taken a blow, Eddy had the upper hand.

As Nanpu lost his energy, Eddy punched him in the chest, kicked him in the side, chopped him in the back, then delivered the final blow in the form of a flip-kick to Nanpu's chin. The drake flew up and crashed to the ground, lying still in a defeated, tired heap.

At the sight of Eddy's victory, the onlookers cheered and whooped. Eddy held his hands up and soaked in their praise. "I am _so_ awesome." He then clasped his hands together and took a bow.

Soon, the crowd began to disperse and file into the school. "Hey, Eito, are you coming to class?" a random student asked.

"Uh, not today," Eddy replied. "Got some errands I gotta run."

With that, Eddy gracefully and tauntingly stepped over Nanpu, who was slowly picking himself up. The drake glared at the human; the human merely smiled. Then Eddy took off running.

The only "errand" Eddy needed to run was finding his friends. If he was right and that Fire Guardian had really sent him to Elysium, then Ed and Edd had to be here too since they also accepted the challenge. Well, there was only one way to find out. With a newfound drive, fueled by the excitement of simply being in this fantastic realm, Eddy made his way to the Elysium Trolley Station, preparing himself for a trip to the Thunder Lands.

* * *

**Guide to Elysium:**

Classes and Skills

**Warrior  
**_Archery-_ Use of bow and arrows._  
Combat-_ Hand-to-hand or use of one-handed weapons (dagger, mace, axe)._  
Swordsmanship-_ Use of two-handed weapons (typically sword)._  
Block-_ Deflecting or absorbing attacks with shield or sword._  
Armor-_ The equipping of proper armor to protect player while allowing freedom of movement._  
Smithing-_ The crafting or repairing of weapons and armor via smelting, tanning, forge, anvil, grindstone and workbench.

**Mage  
**_Alteration-_ Magic armor, detect entities (illumination or sensing), stunning/paralysis, transmutation and conversion._  
Conjuration-_ Summoning supernatural/Nether-creatures or ethereal weapons._  
Destruction-_ Wounds/kills enemies by means of the player's element, energy or shockwaves._  
Illusion-_ Alter emotions of targets, create false images, see through others' illusions or alter appearance of player, including invisibility._  
Restoration-_ Healing, draining health, blocking potential damage, raise/control or attack undead._  
Enchantment-_ Placing permanent magical changes on items, strengthening them and granting new abilities. Can only be undone by disenchantment.

**Ninja  
**_Martial Arts-_ Strikes (punch, kick, chop, etc.) and grappling (choke, submission hold, pin, etc.)._  
Melee-_ Use of katana, staff and other such weapons._  
Throw- _Use of throwing stars, daggers and other such items._  
Sneak-_ Moving undetected or traversing areas out of reach for other classes._  
Infiltration-_ Breaking and entering, lock-picking, pick-pocketing, etc._  
Meditation-_ Entering a state that allows player to tap into other planes, regain health or send astral projection out of body.


	3. Settling In

**Chapter 3: Settling In**

After that odd little incident at that man's barn, Ed made his way to his house to change into a fresh warrior's uniform. Soon he was clad in a green coat, green pants, a chainmail vest, silver armor plates, brown boots, a holster for his sword and a brown fur sash tied at his back to look like a wolf tail. Ed smiled at himself in the mirror, looking quite dashing with his uniform and his ginger hair messily combed off to one side, anxious to put his new body to the test.

He then raced around back and was overjoyed to find his beloved pegasus standing in his stable. "Wolf Rain!" The winged horse looked up at him and snorted happily, letting Ed pat his snout. Ed had a hard time keeping still as excitement filled him up. Oh, what fun it would be to ride him, but now wasn't the time. After feeding Wolf Rain and cleaning out his stable, Ed went out to explore.

Fulgur Village looked just like it did when it was just an image on the screen, only a million times better. The markets, the taverns, the schools, the farms; it was such a beautiful sight to see. Ed quickly felt at home among the wonders, wanting so much to walk around and partake in everything the village had to offer face-to-face. Unable to hold back his ecstasy, Ed peaked inside a blacksmith workplace, watched a quick fight between a fairy and an elf, and even partook in singing a ballad with a travelling band.

But his mission quickly returned to his memory. He had to find his friends, and soon. So after grabbing a quick breakfast sandwich -which tasted just as real as it looked- Ed hurried off to the Trolley Station. He pondered whether to go to the Blaze Lands or the Sky Lands. Chances were Edd wouldn't have the nerve to leave Lux Village, still being so new to Elysium. So should Ed go straight there or find Eddy first?

Well, it looked like he wouldn't have to do the latter, considering that as soon as Ed arrived at the station, he spotted Eddy climbing off of a trolley that had just arrived from Ignis Village. "Eddy!"

"Ed!" The two made a run for each other and tightly embraced, loudly exclaiming their joy. "You're here!"

"We're in Elysium!"

"I know!"

"It's so cool!"

"Yeah it is!"

"I'm so happy to see you!"

"You too, buddy!"

Once Ed's body odor became too much, Eddy backed off. At least _that_ hadn't changed. "You just wake up here too?"

"Uh-huh." Ed nodded. "Woke up in a horse stable."

"Well, _that_ explains why you stink more than usual." Eddy brushed some invisible substance off his uniform and continued to tremble with excitement. "Ain't this great? I haven't even been here for a half hour and already I've used my fire powers and kicked a guy's butt in a fight!"

"Oh, way cool!" Ed gleefully bounced around. "I can't wait to try using _my_ powers! Think of all the awesome things we'll be able to do!"

"Heck yeah! We'll battle evil, slay monsters, maybe even face some dragons! And this time, it's all for real! No more button-mashing. We're making actual memories here, Ed. Actual stories."

Ed's eyes sparkled. "Real adventures. We can do all kinds of fun things we could never do in the real world! What should we do first, Eddy?"

"Well, first, we oughta head over to the Sky Lands and see if our little Keebler elf made it too."

"Right. Can't forget Double D… or Elrohir."

"Too right, we can't, Edon." Eddy signaled for them to get a move on. "Shall we?"

"Onward and upward, Eito, my old friend."

And so, the two of them bought tickets and boarded a trolley headed for Lux Village.

The trolleys looked no different than they did as a game device. They were connected to tracks that carried them to a station in every part of Elysium, and the cars had somewhat of a tour bus-like feel, being mostly open aside from the awning above them. They had to pay doles every time they rode the trolley, but it was cheap and worth it to travel around this quickly and easily.

Soon, they were speeding off. Where they were sitting, Ed got a good view of Elysium as it passed them by. Even if he had already been this way, Eddy watched too. After all, this was a sight unlike anything they had ever seen.

They passed by the beautiful Mjolnir Gardens, teeming with flora and fauna with bright colors and unique designs that resembled nothing on Earth. Off in the distance, they saw the far edge of the Sea of Storms as it disappeared behind them. On the other side, some ways away, they saw the Highlands that rested in the center of Elysium, and they could just barely make out the intricate architecture of Castle Aeon, home of Raphael, the great king of all the lands. As they crossed into the Sky Lands, they were taken through Sundrop Forest, which was everything an untouched rainforest should be and then some. Over their heads was the floating mass of land known as Aether Island, its similar-named waterfall draining from it to the forest.

Eddy expected Ed to continuously bout his excitement, but he surprisingly kept silent in awe of the beauty before them. This couldn't compare to the 2D artwork portrayed on their computer screens. This was the absolute most amazing thing Ed had ever seen.

Finally, the trolley pulled to a stop in the Lux Village station. Ed and Eddy disembarked and gladly set off to find their third member.

"Where do you think Elrohiris, Eito?"

"Knowing Double- I mean _Elrohir,_ he's probably still pacing around his room trying to figure out what's going on."

* * *

As a matter of fact, Edd had already stepped out of his house, albeit slowly and cautiously. Clad in his orange mage robes, he nervously walked down the street and stared blankly at the world around him. He still found it hard to believe what he was seeing. Lux Village looked exactly like it did when it was only a video game world, but seeing it from a three-dimensional, first-person perspective was too surreal for him to accept all at once.

How did he even _get_ here? What sort of supernatural force could transport someone to a video game world? And how was he supposed to return home? If time in this universe was in sync with real world time, that meant it was almost noon. Edd's perfect attendance record had been blemished, and God only knows how many different conniptions his mother and father were having.

But there was something else that bothered Edd, something he knew he shouldn't dwell on but just couldn't stop thinking about. Was this _real,_ or was he just somehow trapped in a video game?

Every time that question nagged at his thoughts, Edd shook it off and brushed it away. Why would it matter? This world wasn't real. Of course it wasn't.

Now for the important task at hand: Should he go find his friends? He still had no powers or knowledge of places outside of the village. Would he be safe travelling like this? Chances were he was very capable of being hurt or even killed like this. After all, he was risking his own physical form, not a computer-generated avatar.

_No. No, I can't take that risk._

But what else was he to do? He desperately wanted to know if Ed and Eddy were safe. Sure, they knew Elysium better than he did, but their situation was no different than his. At least… that would be true if they were here. Edd still didn't know for certain if they were. For all he knew, he could be the only one trapped in this waking nightmare.

That thought sent a shiver down his spine. The idea that he may have to survive this Lewis Carroll fantasy world on his own… Oh, the horror.

_Okay, get a grip on yourself, Eddward. You're safe for now. You can pull through this. You always do._

It was then that Edd got an idea: _The library! It's never let you down before! There have to be texts that describe Elysium's history and the concept of travel between it and the real world._

With a healthy boost to his morale, Edd hurried off to St. Eos First-Level Academy for Mages. No doubt they would have an extensive library awaiting him. In his run, Edd discovered a few surprises. For one, it was surprisingly easy for him to run in sandals. He placed the blame for that on unrealistic game mechanics and didn't debate it further. Second, running in general just seemed much easier. This body was clearly more well-built and aerodynamic than his human body, so much that the light jog he was engaged in hardly fazed him. Come to think of it, it felt rather refreshing and exhilarating.

He slowed to a walk upon reaching campus grounds, his breaths even and his heartbeat quickly returning to a calmer pace. Feeling ready for anything, Edd approached the school doors and reached for the handle. When his hand grabbed nothing but air, his confidence sank. The doors _had_ no handles.

"Oh, right. The doors require a spell to open."

Edd rubbed his temples, trying to remember the command used to enter the school. The words had quickly slipped his mind, having only walked through these doors once last night while being ushered by a school representative. Did he need a staff to execute the spell?

_Rgh… I don't understand magic!_

"Need some help?"

Edd jumped back a few feet when a voice cut off his train of thought. Next to him stood a female light elf with light brown hair, hazel eyes, a lavender robe and a fancy mage staff, who didn't look particularly happy with the black-haired elf blocking the entrance.

"What…? Oh, yes, some assistance would be appreciated. I'm… still very new to this."

"Clearly." She turned to the door and shouted, "_Ano Perire!_"

With a clank and a creek, the doors swung open. Edd breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank you."

The girl seemed to ignore him as she stepped inside. Then she paused and said, "You had best learn quickly if you want to survive."

Edd swallowed hard as she disappeared down the west wing hall. When the doors suddenly started to close, Edd quickly dashed inside, wiped off his brow and walked up to the nearby directory. "East wing, second floor," he said aloud and immediately headed up the nearest staircase.

After a few minutes of searching the castle-like hallways, he finally found the library, the inside of which was lined with rows and rows of tall bookshelves stocked with texts old and new. Edd took a moment to bask in the atmosphere of unhindered knowledge; oh, the things he could learn in this wondrous place.

Remembering the task at hand, Edd started browsing the shelves, not quite sure what to look for to help him and therefore open for any encouraging-looking title. The books all seemed to be organized very well. One large portion of shelves was dedicated to books on the history and fundamentals of magic, spells and analogous sorcery. Edd put all of that behind him in favor of texts about Elysium itself, which he eventually came across. He pulled out a few promising books and carried them over to the nearest table, which to his luck was stocked with quills, ink and parchment made available for any student.

Now that he had everything he needed, Edd sat down and began his research.

* * *

"Find him anywhere, Ed?"

"Nope. Not yet."

Eddy ran his fingers through his hair and sighed. "We've searched all over the estate. If he wasn't at his house, we'd better move on."

"Where do you think he got off to?" Ed asked.

"I'd bet ten gold doles he's at a library somewhere, trying to find an explanation for why we've been sent here."

"Hmm…" Ed tapped his lip and looked around the village. "Where would the library be?"

"What say we try the school?"

"Sounds like a plan!"

Eddy smiled and led the duo onward, heading north towards the mage schools. This seemed like the right move. After all, what with them being plunged into insanity like this, it would be like their Edd to seek some familiarity in the form of books. And where else would someone as inexperienced as him have to go besides school?

"Hey, Eito?" Ed spoke up. "Don't mage schools require a password spell to get inside?"

"Ed, _please._" Eddy walked backwards and held his arms out. "Look at me. Do I _look_ like someone who can be kept out just by locking a stupid door?"

"Well, you're only second-level," Ed answered honestly.

"And that's all I need to infiltrate something as lightly guarded as a mage school."

"If you say so." Ed shrugged and dropped the subject.

"Right." Eddy turned around and continued walking forwards. "So we'll find the library window, I'll get in and get Double D to come out and say hi, and then you and I can split and go do whatever."

"You mean Elrohir, right, Eito?"

"Don't push it, Ed."

Upon reaching the school, the two circled around and inspected every window, searching for the one to the library. While leaping through the trees to get a better view of the second and third floors, Eddy soon found their destination, and lo and behold, a black-haired elf was sitting in plain sight. No mistake, that was Edd.

"Ah-ha!" He took a mighty bound towards the library window, positioned and ready to kick it open. But while in mid-air, Eddy was suddenly struck by a spell that completely immobilized him, sending him crashing into the wall and then to the ground.

Inside, the collision caught Edd's attention. He ran to the window to see what all the commotion was about.

The spell's caster emerged from around the corner and launched a Flash at Ed, who quickly drew his sword and used it to block the attack in the nick of time. He inspected the attacker, who appeared to be a human with chestnut hair, silver eyes, a blue robe and an intricate staff.

"We come in peace!" Ed declared.

"Then why was your friend trying to break into our school?" the mage asked.

"We wish only to see our elf friend. We didn't know how else to get in without the entrance spell."

The paralysis spell started to wear off, allowing Eddy to sit up and loosen his limbs. "Yeah, what gives?"

"Visitors are not allowed in this school without authorization," the mage continued. "I must ask you two to leave."

"No, wait!" Edd opened up the library window and looked down at his counterparts.

"Elrohir!" Ed joyfully cried.

"Please forgive them," Edd said to the mage. "They're friends."

"I see." He pointed his staff at Ed and Eddy and kept his gaze on Edd. "Well, keep them under control, young mage. I do not want this happening again."

"Understood."

With that mishap out of the way, the mage left them alone. Before the other two Eds had a chance to speak, Edd asked with a tone that ranged from excitement to disbelief to frustration, "What are you doing here?"

"We had to know if you were here too," Eddy answered. "Whatcha got going on up there?"

"I'm _trying_ to figure out how we were sent here."

"It was the Guardians, Elrohir!" Ed replied. "The Elemental Guardians of King Raphael sent us here on a quest to save Elysium!"

"Elemental Guardians…" Edd mumbled, tapping his chin thoughtfully and mentally adding that to his list of things to look up. He again addressed his companions, "But _why_ are we here? This world shouldn't even exist!"

"Well, look around, Double D!" Eddy said half-sarcastically. "Does this look like non-existence?"

Edd awkwardly looked around the courtyard, unable to deny the realism before his very eyes. "Well, whether or not this is a real world or just a video game, I would still like to know how exactly we were brought here."

"It's magic!" Ed insisted. "You're a mage! You should know that some things aren't meant to be questioned."

Unsure how to respond to that bit of advice, Edd cast a brief glance over his shoulder at the books he had sitting on the table, then looked back at his friends. "Perhaps… But still, a better understanding of what sent us here could help us determine how to return home."

"Oh no you don't!" Eddy objected. "I don't care about the fine details! As long as I'm here, I'm taking advantage of it!"

"But Eddy-!"

"But _nothing!_ Double D, Elysium was cool enough when it was just a game. Now that we're actually here, there's a world of opportunity and adventure out there. We have a chance to venture out into bold new horizons, to experience firsthand what no man has ever seen before. And darn it, I'm gonna milk every last bit of it while I'm here, no matter what!"

Edd was genuinely surprised by Eddy's reasoning and determination. He looked at their third party member. "Ed?"

"Come on, Double D!" Ed agreed. "We're young. We're in an amazing new world. Why shouldn't we have some fun here?"

"I see." He tapped the window sill. "I suppose you make a good point. But you'll have to forgive me. I simply don't feel comfortable diving head-first into something so unfamiliar. Don't let me stop you, though. You gentlemen have fun."

"Now we're talking!" Eddy turned and started to leave. "We'll catch up with you when we get the chance."

"Just be careful!" Edd insisted.

"Rank up some skill!" Ed said as he followed Eddy. "Once you have more power, you can join us!"

"Yeah, you're not backing out of this that easily!" Eddy chided.

"If you sustain any serious injuries, it's on _your_ conscience, not mine!" Edd called to them as they ran back towards the village.

He closed the window again and sighed, unsure how to feel anymore. Truth be told, he was quite curious to learn a little more about this world, but the fact remained that he still didn't know how _real_ Elysium really was. Was this a dream? Were they trapped in a game? Did this fantastical place actually exist? He had no way of knowing.

With that said, should he have let Ed and Eddy run off like that? If this was a game, should they be killed (a thought Edd couldn't bear to imagine), they'd simply restart back at their houses with lowered skill points. If not…

Edd pushed that thought away. It wouldn't happen. Ed and Eddy knew enough about Elysium to keep themselves safe. Surely they could survive out there for the time being. At least they knew where to find him now.

He sat down and resumed his studies, telling himself that he'd look into more than just Elysium's connection with the real world; he also wanted to research the Elemental Guardians, the different lands, and possibly even magic. Hey, it couldn't hurt to have a better understanding of his class's abilities.

"You'll figure this out in due time, Eddward. This will all make sense soon enough."

* * *

**Guide to Elysium:**

Elemental Abilities

**Fire  
**Skill Level 0: Flames**  
**Skill Level 25: Firebolt, Ignite, Fire Rune  
Skill Level 50: Fireball, Flame Cloak  
Skill Level 75: Incinerate, Wall of Flames  
Skill Level 100: Fire Storm

**Ice  
**Skill Level 0: Frostbite  
Skill Level 25: Freeze, Ice Spike, Ice Rune  
Skill Level 50: Ice Wind, Ice Cloak  
Skill Level 75: Ice Spear, Wall of Ice  
Skill Level 100: Blizzard

**Shock  
**Skill Level 0: Sparks  
Skill Level 25: Lightning Bolt, Thunder Strike, Lightning Rune  
Skill Level 50: Chain Lightning, Lightning Cloak  
Skill Level 75: Thunderbolt, Wall of Storms  
Skill Level 100: Lightning Storm

**Light  
**Skill Level 0: Glow  
Skill Level 25: Flash, Shooting Star, Light Rune  
Skill Level 50: Stardust, Light Cloak  
Skill Level 75: Nova, Wall of Light  
Skill Level 100: Star Storm

**Shadow  
**Skill Level 0: Darkness  
Skill Level 25: Shadow Hand, Shadow Strike, Shadow Rune  
Skill Level 50: Shadow Wave, Shadow Cloak  
Skill Level 75: Cloud of Darkness, Wall of Shadows  
Skill Level 100: Total Eclipse


	4. Of Hobbits and Orcs

**Chapter 4: Of Hobbits and Orcs**

"It's kinda funny. I wasn't expecting my first trip to the Highlands to play out like this."

"You haven't been here yet?" Ed questioned as he and Eddy got off the trolley to Lily Valley. "Boy, you've been missing out! There was this one time when me and my friend Conall went on a mission to Iris Forest to help rid the Highlands of death specters, and along the way we found this secret passageway that led to a shrine full of-"

"Okay, okay," Eddy chuckled. "Let's just see what we can find."

"We just gotta be careful for Elrohir's sake," Ed said.

"Ed, be reasonable. Nothing's gonna happen if we don't go out looking for trouble."

Ed quickly realized he was right, but that suited him fine. With a simple smile, Ed bounded after Eddy as he charged into Lily Valley. "So what are we looking for?"

"Anything we can sink our fists into!" Eddy replied.

"Alright!"

For a while, the two wandered around the more visited part of the valley, where many Elysium inhabitants gathered to socialize and engage in friendly combat. This was all they were looking for at the moment. A good fight. Some way to further adapt to their new abilities. Ed could hardly contain his excitement as he went around begging people to fight him. Eddy tried to give people a reason to fight them by means of taunting and teasing, but everyone declined.

"Aw, come on!" Eddy insisted. "What's wrong with you people? Too chicken to take on our greatness?"

"Yeah, and I love chickens!" Ed attempted to back him up.

Eddy merely sighed and shook his head before turning back to the passersby. "It's just a little competition of skill! We're not asking for much!"

Ed started jumping from foot to foot and raised his hands like a boxer. "Come on! Give us all you got! We're asking for it!"

"You know what?" someone finally spoke up. "I'm in the mood for some excitement. What say you, Essie?"

"I see no harm in a simple duel," his female compatriot agreed.

Ed and Eddy smiled encouragingly at each other as their opponents stepped forward. One was a human ice ninja. The other was a dragonfly-winged fairy light warrior. "State your names, challengers," the ninja called to the duo.

"I'm Eito," Eddy said.

"And I am _Edon: Warrior of the Allfather's Wolves!_" Ed declared in his typical overdramatic fashion.

The fairy snickered at Ed's theatrics. The ninja smirked but otherwise hid his amusement as he introduced the two of them. "I'm Isao. This is Esmeralda."

"Well, this is gonna be interesting," Eddy said, adrenaline levels rising with every second.

"This will be a clean fight, correct?" Esmeralda questioned.

"Indeed," Ed replied. "Nothing but some friendly two-on-two."

"Then may the best team win," Isao said.

As per the norm with battles of this caliber, Eddy and Isao bowed to one another while Ed and Esmeralda placed their right fists over their hearts. By this point, a small crowd was gathering, anxious to see what was unfolding. Then, in mechanical unison, Ed unsheathed Flash Fang, Eddy whipped three throwing stars out of his satchel, Isao drew his staff and Esmeralda grabbed her bow with one hand and an arrow with the other.

To both Eds, it seemed only logical that they engaged the opponent in the same respective class, so as the two released a primal battle cry together, Eddy took a running leap at Isao and Ed charged at Esmeralda.

In response to Eddy's flying kick, Isao tumbled to his left, swung back around and slammed his staff into Eddy's side, effectively knocking him off balance. He was on the ground for two seconds before quickly turning back around, unexpectedly launching his throwing stars at Isao. With little time to dodge all three stars, he used his staff to block them; two of them lodged into the wood, the third sliced a cut in his arm. Eddy took advantage of his brief quip of pain by running back up to him and chopping his shoulder, forcing him to drop his staff. Isao blocked a second chop, sending the two into a period of hand-to-hand attacks.

At the same time, Ed swung his sword in two swift motions, the first one knocking aside the arrow that Esmeralda fired at him, the second one intended as a direct, non-lethal swipe at her torso. She jumped away from this attack and hovered a few feet over Ed's head. From here, she quickly pulled another arrow out of her quiver and fired it at Ed's arm. He moved away quick enough for it only to clash into his shoulder pad. As he continued to dodge arrows, virtually helpless with Esmeralda out of reach, Ed contemplated whether or not he should enter werewolf form. No. He couldn't risk that in a harmless duel like this.

It wasn't until Isao had him in a submission hold that Eddy remembered his fire powers. While struggling to break free, Eddy focused his inner strength into his hands, causing tiny flames to ignite in his palms and fingertips. He thrust them into the ground, creating a pattern of Fire Runes around Isao, which promptly exploded and dealt a fair deal of fiery damage to the frost ninja. Once free of his grip, Eddy turned back around, roundhouse kicked Isao in the head, landed in a striking pose and waited. Immediately after recovering, Isao hit Eddy with a full blast of a Freeze attack, leaving him in frostbitten pain, practically unable to move and open for a strike.

Having watched Eddy perform Fire Rune, Ed picked up and experimentally focused his own power into his hands. His first attempt was a simple Spark attack, which though successfully deployed, did very little to Esmeralda, who was still too high and too fast for Ed to catch. Still, the sight of electricity bursting out of his palms excited Ed, and he followed it up with a rather impressive Thunder Strike, which struck Esmeralda head-on and stunned her with smaller shocks. She plummeted to the ground and lay paralyzed for a brief moment, allowing Ed to remove her quiver, toss it aside and then kick her in the crotch, likely unaware that this wouldn't hurt as much for a woman than it would a man.

The kick to his side helped to loosen up Eddy's body, and he quickly retaliated by springing off his hands, covering two throwing stars in Flames and launching them directly into Isao's shoulders. He cried out in agony, then did his best to ignore it and launch an Ice Spike at Eddy. The sheer swiftness Eddy demonstrated while dodging it surprised even himself, and to his pleasure, the crowd was eating up the action. The two ninjas then sprung at each other, aimed to kick their opponent, but at the last second, Eddy thrust his arm out, grabbed Isao's leg, threw him over his shoulder and slammed him into the ground. Finally, Eddy used Ignite to send fiery pain across the frost ninja's body, and with one last mangled cry, Isao was knocked out.

Esmeralda launched Shooting Stars at Ed, dodging or using his sword to block most and taking only minor damage from the rest. Sparks surrounded Flash Fang as he swung it at the fairy, delivering a blow to her arm that both cut and shocked her. She then tried punching and kicking Ed, only managing to meet his face once as he used his arms to block her. It was clear that she was losing energy, seeing as how she wasn't wasting it on another light attack. When she tried again to punch his face, Ed swerved around her other side, dug his heels into the ground and launched himself at Esmeralda, delivering a strong, Spark-covered punch to her back, quickly knocking the wind out of her. He then launched a Lightning Bolt, throwing her back until she landed next to Isao, lying still with defeat.

Ed and Eddy took some time to catch their breath before acknowledging the cheers from the satisfied watchers. Before they could fully accept their victory, they silently agreed that they had to demonstrate proper etiquette, which they did by helping their losing opponents back onto their feet and handing their weapons back to them. "Good fight," Eddy calmly broke the ice.

"Indeed," Isao tiredly agreed. "You certainly are a force to be reckoned with."

Ed pulled a healing tonic out of his satchel and generously offered it to the duo. "Sorry if you were hurt real bad."

"Not to worry," Esmeralda chuckled, taking a light dab of the tonic and rubbing it on her sore back and lightly-wounded arm. "We have dealt with far worse."

"I bet you have." In a rare moment, Eddy actually complimented Isao, saying, "You must have some serious hardcore experience, 'cause those were some pretty impressive moves."

"Not quite as impressive as your mid-air shift in strategy," Isao humbly replied as he rubbed Ed's tonic on his shoulder wounds.

"Well, it was fun fighting you!" Ed cheered.

"Quite. It was a privilege to do combat with you," Esmeralda agreed. "Perhaps we will meet again in time."

Eddy's trademark smirk and attitude returned. "If you're lucky."

With that, the four fighters bid farewell and parted, with Eddy using their absence as an opportunity to share his victory with the crowd. As he bowed and accepted pats on the back, Ed obliviously joined the excitement, simply happy to be involved.

Then, as the crowd dispersed, the duo continued to walk further down Lily Valley. The buzz from that battle was far from wearing off. "That was so _cool!_" Ed shouted.

"Wasn't it?!" Eddy agreed. "I swear, I didn't even know I could _do_ half the stuff I did back there! It's like when we were sent here, we were given all the skills and abilities we had already earned during those months of gameplay."

"Did you see me use all those shock powers?!" Ed begun to do a reenactment of his side of the fight. "Esmeralda was flying all around, then I went _ZAP_ and hit her with Sparks, and then I used a Thunder Strike, and it was all like _BZAP-PTOO-PTOO-PTOO!_"

"Calm down, Lumpy!" Eddy laughed, grabbing Ed's arm. "Yeah, it was cool. It's like I said! There are so many possibilities for us now! Imagine what it'll be like to really _fight_ something! Something you can really sink your sword into!"

Ed's eyes sparkled with excitement. "I can't wait for the chance to change into werewolf form."

"Well, that chance is a-coming."

As they continued into a small patch of forest, Eddy jumped up, grabbed a branch, swung up, and then dropped back down with an apple in his hand. After wiping it off on his uniform and taking a bite, he looked at the sky and said, "And the best part is, we have no distractions. No obligations. We don't have to put up with school or chores or bullies unless we want to." He took another bite. "We're the dealers of our own destinies, Ed."

Ed's smile widened to impossible lengths. Then, out of nowhere, he hoisted Eddy up in a monster hug.

"Ed, what the heck!"

"Sorry, Eddy." He set Eddy back down and blissfully continued, "I'm just so happy to be here! And with my bestest friends!"

His enthusiasm quickly cheered Eddy back up. He chuckled and said, "You said it, big guy."

After a few more bites of his apple, Eddy thought out loud, "While we're here, we oughta learn how to do more powerful elemental attacks. Obviously skill points don't mean anything anymore, so all we'll need is practice, and before we know it, we'll be doing stuff like Cloaks and Walls…"

"You can Incinerate stuff and I can use Chain Lightning," Ed added.

Eddy nodded, finished his apple and tossed the core into the forest. "And you know what would be even more impressive? If we got the One Sock to Rule Them All to leave Lux Village and come with us."

Ed chuckled. "Yeah. That'd be fun." He paused for a minute, then randomly said, "I've always wanted to see a Lightning Storm."

"Or a Fire Storm," Eddy responded. "Yeah, that _would_ be a sight."

"So where're we going now, Eito?"

"Beats me. I'm just going where the wind takes me. You ever been through Lily Valley?"

"Nope. Hmm…" Ed dug deep into his brain to see if he could remember what he had been told about the valley. "I think I once heard that there's a hobbit village somewhere down here."

"Hobbits?" Eddy repeated. "Lame."

"Come on, Eddy! It'll be fun! They might not do much, but hobbits are still cool!"

Eddy snorted. The people of Elysium had long made a promise to live in harmony with the resident hobbits. For the most part, they never left their villages and no one attacked them. And even if someone did, hobbits lacked the skill or the means to fight back. What kind of fun could Eddy have in one of those half-pint villages?

Ultimately, he decided it was better than nothing. Besides, since they didn't know where exactly it was, it would give them an excuse to wander around the less-visited parts of Lily Valley.

"Okay, why not?"

"Yay!" Ed dashed ahead of him. "Let's go!"

"Hey, wait up, furball!" Eddy laughed as he took off after him. No matter what happened, at least he could always count on Ed to bring some excitement.

* * *

Ordinarily, trudging through a dense forest filled with briar patches would be a situation to avoid. But with Ed being… _Ed,_ he hiked on anyway, not seeming to care too much when a briar snagged his uniform or scratched an exposed part of his skin. Wisely, Eddy took to leaping through the treetops, and he did so with such silent grace that Ed had to keep looking up to make sure he was still there. "Wow, you're good at that, Eddy."

"That's kinda why they call me a ninja, Ed," Eddy replied, dripping with sarcasm. "You doing okay down there?"

"Fine as Larry, Eddy!"

"…Whatever the heck _that_ means. Why are we even this deep into the forest?"

"Well, the hobbits are probably really distant from the Elysium residents, so this forest must be used to divide the land."

"You _do_ know there's a walking path that goes this exact same way, right?"

"But that's so less exciting!" Ed declared.

"Whatever." Eddy figured Ed could float his boat his own way for all he cared. However, his demeanor started to change when he saw a break in the trees up ahead. "Oh, good, we're almost out of here."

Just before he could reach the open land, Ed froze up, a look of surprise etched onto his face.

Not noticing this, Eddy continued jumping across the branches. Ed's eyes darted up to him in worry; he tried to speak quietly so only Eddy could hear. "Eddy, wait. Stop."

But his voice didn't reach his ears, and when Eddy dove from the trees and landed in the grass, he was immediately greeted by the horrific sight of the hobbit village being attacked by a gang of hideous creatures, a few of them riding horseback. He stood there stunned for a moment, then was pulled back into the trees by Ed's hand.

"Orcs," Eddy whispered sharply.

"I know," Ed whispered back. "I smelled them."

"How many are down there?" Eddy wondered.

Both of them peaked through the trees and did their best to count all the orcs, totaling them at about seven or eight. This was definitely a bad sign; orcs were ruthless, vicious, caring for nothing but destruction. Why they were attacking hobbits was beyond them, but since no one seemed to be down there helping the hobbits, the orcs were practically shooting fish in a barrel.

Ed drew himself away and anxiously bit his lip. "We gotta stop them, Eddy!"

"You're darn right, we do!" Eddy agreed, pulling a dagger out of his satchel. "You head out. I'll circle around and attack 'em from the west."

"Got it, Eddy." Ed nodded with determination, pulled Flash Fang halfway out of its sheath and darted out into the open.

He quickly set his sights on the nearest orc's horse. With his hands gripped firmly on his sword, Ed quietly charged at it, and though it was turned away from him, his fast-approaching presence made the horse nervous. Just as he neared it, Ed unleashed his sword, struck down the horse's legs and sent its rider tumbling off. Before it had a chance to get back up, Ed drove his sword into the orc's throat, killing the gruesome creature swiftly.

This first kill attracted two more orcs to him. As they drew near, Ed unleashed a Thunder Strike, stunning them both briefly. He then ran at them, sword aimed to strike, but the orc closest to him drew his own blade and blocked Ed's attack. As the second one joined him, Ed did his best to fight off both orcs, who were attacking with so much speed and power that the fight was quickly starting to wear Ed out.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the village, Eddy snuck through the trees and cautiously approached an orc. He clutched his dagger firmly between his fingers and readied his aim, intending to fling it into the orc's head. Once ready, he flung it free; the orc must've heard it coming at the last second, because it turned its head just in time for the dagger to burrow into its eye.

"Yeesh…" Eddy bolted out and charged at the screaming orc, leaping up and delivering a powerful punch to the jaw that knocked it off its terrified horse. When it landed, Eddy pulled the bloodied dagger out of its eye socket and slashed its throat with it, then left it to die as he charged at another one.

It took nearly every last bit of energy Ed had left to paralyze the orcs with a Lightning Bolt, then he moved away, grabbed some unidentifiable food off of a nearby cart, ate it in a desperate attempt to refuel himself, and put his sword away. Time for drastic measures…

Ed clenched his fists and focused. He focused all his energy and aggression into his chest, straining himself to the point where one would think he was trying to tear himself apart. His mind was set on only one thing: giving into his inner beast. And sure enough, his body went rigid, his muscles ached, his bones cracked and a powerful heat coursed through him.

What felt like an eternity was scrunched into a second as Ed threw his head back and let the transformation overpower him. His muscles expanded and his bones shifted, causing his body to expand and his face to distort. His nails expanded into claws and his teeth sharpened into deadly points. Parts of his uniform fell off as his legs and torso drastically changed shape. Brown, tan, auburn and white hair grew out of every pore on his body, and a tail of the same color tore out of the back of his pants.

Finally, with the warrior known as Edon replaced by this hulking, six-and-a-half foot wolf, Ed trained his bright yellow eyes on the orcs and attacked with tooth and claw.

He knew he would have to focus hard on conserving his energy and maintaining this unstable form. It took hard concentration and stamina to stay in wolf form without a full moon, and if he shifted back to human form, he wouldn't be able to shift back for twenty-four hours. But as he battled fiercely with these disgusting creatures, Ed's only instinct was that of pure, animalistic rage. His only drive was to kill. Nothing more, nothing less.

Eddy caught the tail end of the commotion when from across the village, he saw Ed reducing the orcs to bloody pulps. "Well, I suppose this is as efficient as anything else."

At close look, now that Ed had killed three and Eddy was just Igniting his second, there seemed to be only three orcs left, and they were charging towards the easier target. Eddy took advantage of this by sprinting Ed's way; at the same time, the monstrous wolf was running to meet him halfway.

They met in the center of the village and Eddy jumped onto a rooftop, making way for Ed to lunge into the nearest orc. While Ed made easy work of dealing with the orcs, Eddy helped him with the occasional Firebolt or throwing star, but for the most part, he just stood there, gawking at the carnage.

Never before had Eddy seen such a brutal assault, and certainly not from Ed. This wasn't even the same as when his single-eyebrowed friend's imagination got the better of him. This wasn't pretending gone wrong. Ed was actually viciously murdering those orcs, and even though killing orcs wasn't a taboo in Elysium, it was still pretty messed up in Eddy's eyes.

For a solid minute, the berserk wolf ripped and tore the orcs apart without pity or control, causing Eddy's stomach to twist. He especially couldn't help but go "Ugh…" when one orc's head split open like a watermelon. And seeing all this, he started to question if this werewolf was still Ed.

For now, though, he digressed. Now that the orcs were all dead, there was no point in putting a damper on the mood.

"Al_right!_" Eddy cheered as he jumped down from his perch. "That was easier than I expected! And you got to use your were-"

He was cut off when the wolf suddenly turned to him and let out a threatening growl, made all the more terrifying by the blood staining his lips and teeth.

Eddy shivered once and backed away a few steps. "Ed… Ed, buddy, it's just me."

The wolf didn't seem to understand him, instead responding by roaring and swinging his claws at Eddy.

He jumped back a few more steps and covered his hands in flames. "Ed, stop! Calm down, man! Just- Just _calm down!_"

The sight of the fire made the wolf back off. It wasn't until then that he realized how exhausted he was. As he relaxed and took a few deep breaths, his concentration broke and the wolf shrunk back into the bare, human form of Edon.

"Whoa…" Ed mumbled. "That was… so intense."

"You're tellin' me…" Eddy agreed with obvious relief.

Now that the threat was gone, the resident hobbits started to come out into the open. Slowly at first, the claps and thank-yous began, then the village erupted with applause and cheers of gratitude.

Eddy smiled and held his hands up in mock modesty. "Oh, please. It was nothing. Those lousy orcs had it coming to them."

As his friend accepted tokens of appreciation like fresh food and gold doles, Ed, for once, had nothing to say. He felt like he should be contemplating what just happened, but he had no idea what to think. That first transformation didn't exactly play out the way he had expected it to. Was it thrilling? Yes, by all means. But it also felt very… foreign. Like something he didn't quite have dominance over.

Eventually, the cheering died down. One by one, the grateful hobbits went quiet until only one person was clapping. And it was a slow, almost mocking sort of clap that did its part to disrupt the atmosphere.

The crowd parted and Ed and Eddy looked up at the culprit. A lone shadow fairy, adorned with a black and violet ninja uniform, shoulder-length black hair, pierced ears, dark indigo eyes and intricate, black and violet wings, stood at the edge of the crowd, hands still slowly clapping and mouth curved in a teasing smile.

"Impressive. Most impressive, indeed."

It wasn't until the fairy spoke that Eddy realized, much to his shock, that it was a man. He tried to shake off that misconception and look intimidating. "Who are you?"

"No need for hostility, young fire ninja," the fairy said politely. "I come here on behalf of King Raphael."

Ed's eyebrow raised in surprise. "Y-You're from…?" He looked down at himself to make sure he wasn't naked. Fortunately, his uniform may have been stretched, but it still covered him.

"Yes. Call me Calhoun." He bowed his head with respect and continued, "You gentlemen are lucky there were only eight orcs. I shudder to think what would've happened to you had you dealt with more."

Eddy couldn't shake off the campy image of this guy in his brain. He merely smirked and said, "You'd be surprised. We've dealt with a heck of a lot more than some stupid orcs."

"Have you now?" Calhoun looked around at the hobbits. "Well, you've certainly proved your strength to our hobbit friends, and I have a suspicion you have more to prove than you've just demonstrated."

Ed and Eddy eyed each other, not sure where this was going.

"Come with me. I'm sure King Raphael would be interested in meeting you."

The duo's jaws dropped in unison. Had they just been asked to speak to the king?

* * *

**Guide to Elysium:**

Locations

**Highlands: Center  
**Castle Aeon  
Ferrum City  
Lily Valley  
Iris Forest  
Elysium Cathedral

**Blaze Lands: West  
**Ignis Village  
Mount Ardor  
Flaring Fields  
Red Rock Canyon  
Forge Desert

**Frost Lands: Southeast  
**Glacies Village  
Blizzard Ridge  
Crystal Lake  
Winter's Hollow  
Forest of Chills

**Thunder Lands: Northeast  
**Fulgur Village  
Sea of Storms  
White Bolt Peak  
Mico Plains  
Mjolnir Gardens

**Sky Lands: North  
**Lux Village**  
**Aether Island  
Sundrop Forest  
Rainbow Spring  
Aura Mountains

**Shade Lands: South  
**Umbra Village  
Onyx Caverns  
Twilight River  
Tenebrous Lowlands  
Devil's Ledge

* * *

A/N: Please don't take Calhoun's character the wrong way. :(


	5. To Be a Mage

**Chapter 5: To Be a Mage**

Calhoun talked Ed and Eddy's ears off the whole way back to Castle Aeon. This wouldn't have been so bad if he had actually brought up something _interesting._ Most of his one-sided conversations were about how wonderful Elysium was and how every little thing in it came to be. Coupled with the flamboyant way he spoke, this didn't help to disprove Eddy's suspicion that the shadow fairy was gay. To add to it, Calhoun had given Ed a colorful garment to cover his half-naked body, and its bright colors were enough to even make _him_ feel like a fruitcake.

But, finally, they had arrived at the elegant double doors to the glorious castle in Elysium's epicenter. Ed smiled wide and stared up with glimmering eyes. He had always dreamed of the day he would be allowed inside this magnificent mansion. He did his best to make himself look semi-presentable, adjusting his uniform as best he could. "This is so exciting, huh, Eddy?"

"'Exciting' nothing," Eddy replied. "This is, like, mind-boggling."

"Alright, fellows, step aside," Calhoun chuckled, maneuvering between the two and pushing the doors open.

Ed and Eddy let out a simultaneous "Whooooaaaa…" as they walked inside the castle. The grand front hall glistened with smooth marble, and all around the room was decorated with elegant portraits, statues and banners marked with the symbols of each of Elysium's lands.

"Simply breathtaking, isn't it?" Calhoun sighed.

"Uh-huh…" Ed grunted, his voice devoid of any tone.

"Come, now. Much to discuss. Mustn't keep His Majesty waiting."

"Oh, no, sir!" Ed agreed, snapping back to reality.

As they followed Calhoun down the hall, Eddy continued to look around while whispering to Ed, "So what do you think the king wants with us?"

"I don't know, but I'm so excited. Are _you_ excited? _I'm_ excited!"

Eddy rolled his eyes. "But what is this all about? We just killed some orcs; that's nothing bombastic." He mulled it over a little while longer. "What if this is about that… 'special quest' we agreed to go on before we came here?"

Ed's lips formed a silent "Ooh" at the thought of delving further into this ambiguous mission.

After they passed between two sets of staircases, the group stopped in front of another set of doors flanked by two guards.

The guard on the right looked as if he was about to speak, but then he turned away and started to violently cough. Once he finally stopped, he turned back and hoarsely mumbled, "My apologies."

"Not to worry, Graham," Calhoun replied before turning coolly to the other guard. "Leon."

"Calhoun," Leon gruffly replied.

Calhoun took a deep breath and looked ahead. "_Ekleihoku approzeiku._"

"Indeed," Leon agreed as he and Graham pushed the doors open.

Ed and Eddy exchanged awkward looks and shrugs, having absolutely no idea what he just said. If only Edd was here and had full mage training; he could probably decipher that odd little phrase.

That moment of confusion soon passed as Calhoun led them into the throne room. A velvet red carpet stretched from the doorway to the far side of the marble room. Resting at the end of the room, at the top of a small staircase, was a fancy throne adorned with gemstones of all kind, and sitting upon it was Elysium's young king, looking beyond elegant with his red and white robes, blond hair and clean-shaven, green-eyed, delicate-featured face.

Ed's first instinct was to fall on his knees and bow before his king, which he did partially by accident due to his weak legs. Eddy, not wanting to make himself look like the fool, clasped his hands together and bowed his head in the typical ninja gesture of submission.

"Rise, young ones," King Raphael kindly ordered.

"O-Okay…" Ed stuttered as he wobbled back onto his feet.

"Calhoun, if you would leave us…"

"Absolutely, Your Majesty," Calhoun respectfully obliged, leaving the boys alone with the king.

Eddy let out a sigh of relief, glad that the campy fairy was finally gone and praying that this would be the last time he saw him.

"First and foremost," Raphael began, "I would like to apologize for how my guards may have behaved on your way in. My daughter has recently fallen ill and I fear her sickness may be spreading to those around her."

"Oh, geez, I'm sorry," Ed murmured.

"Not to worry. With any luck, she will be well again in due time."

"So…" Eddy kicked his foot around. "What is it you want from us?"

Raphael stood up and slowly descended the staircase. "You two were recently confronted by the Elemental Guardians, were you not?"

"Yeah, we were," Eddy replied while Ed simply nodded.

"Well, I must inquire… Do you gentlemen have a third member of your group? Do you have a mage accompanying you?"

Ed and Eddy looked at each other, then turned back to the king. Eddy answered, "Well, we have a friend who's a light mage in training, but I seriously doubt he'll have the nerve to leave Lux Village."

"I see." Raphael took a deep breath, clearly disappointed. "I fear it would simply be inappropriate to elaborate further without this friend of yours here to listen as well."

"We could go get him," Ed insisted. "Yeah, we can get him down here for a little talk!"

Raphael smiled at Ed's enthusiasm. "That would be greatly appreciated."

"So, yeah, we'll go get Elrohir…" Eddy reiterated as he and Ed backed out of the throne room. "We will get him."

"Before you go, I would like to know your names."

"Oh, right. I'm Eito."

Ed leaped into the air. "And I am _Edon: Master of the Midnight Storm!_"

"Do you _have_ to do that every time you introduce yourself?!" Eddy shouted.

Raphael simply chuckled, further amused by Ed's antics. "Yes, yes. Thank you, gentlemen. I promise you answers upon you and your friend's return."

* * *

Edd looked out the window through the corner of his eye. Sunset. He had been in this castle all day, and he had only left the library once to grab something to eat in the school's dining hall. By now, he had taken several pages of notes, most of them on Elysium itself and less on theories of forces that could've transported them here.

Wanting a break from all the page turning, Edd dropped his pen into his inkbottle and quickly ran through his notes. From what he had gathered, Edd wasn't entirely sure that Elysium was technically on Earth. All the books he had read referred to this world as "Pan"; the name made Edd think of the Greek god or the moon of Saturn, so he had no idea how to interpret this. Elysium itself was founded years after a global war ravaged nearly the whole world and the Elemental Guardians, the physical manifestations of the positive forces of Pan's five elements, led a small band to this promised land. But that was centuries ago in Pan years; very little was worth mentioning between then and now.

With a frustrated sigh, Edd dropped his head. At this rate, there was very little he could do to get him and his friends back to the real world. He doubted anyone around here could give him any real answers; all that this school really had to offer besides its extensive library was mage training.

That's when Edd really started to think about his current situation: It was obvious he wasn't going to get any straightforward answers about his sudden presence in Elysium here in Lux Village. He needed to talk to someone higher up, someone with a greater understanding of Elysium. But to get to them, he had to leave the village, and he still didn't feel comfortable doing that while he had no idea how to use his powers.

So, what was the logical solution?

A light scowl took over his face as Edd put his books back on their respective shelves, slipped his notes into his satchel and exited the library. "I'm going to regret this…"

Edd walked down the hall and to the nearest directory. The classes for all six mage skills, elemental training, and the directions on how to find them were plainly listed before him. He took a moment to figure out which skill he would be better off starting out with, ultimately deciding that he first wanted to learn defense rather than fighting. He headed off towards Alteration class.

After walking down to the first floor and through the hallways of the west wing, Edd came across a door with a symbol of a tree that was half dead and half in bloom painted on it. If he recalled his studies correctly, this was the right location. Slowly and nervously, he raised his hand and gently knocked.

Moments later, the door opened to reveal a man with messy brown hair, blue eyes and the standard, white mage instructor's robe. "Good evening," he greeted the elf before him. "May I help you?"

"Yes… Am I too late to begin my lessons today?" Edd asked.

"Oh, not at all. Come in." The man opened the door wider, allowing Edd to step inside and look around.

The incredibly large room was dominated by several sections of desks, each of which was stationed with students and teachers covering different branches of Alteration. Lining the walls here and there were shelves and cases stocked with books or spell components. And on the far wall were a few more doors.

Edd watched with unbridled awe as his fellow mages performed impossible feats before his eyes. Students in one corner of the room used their staffs to create balls of light in unison. Another section was in the midst of brewing potions. Next to him, a vampire mage instructor was teaching the students the fundamentals of magical armor. Seeing these logic-defying acts being accomplished right in front of him left Edd as baffled as he was upon first arrival.

"If you wish to join a study group, you'll have to wait for another fifteen minutes," the mage who had led him in explained. "If you'd prefer a private lesson, I'd be willing to take you into one of our back rooms."

Edd pulled himself out of his stupor and nodded in confirmation. "Y-Yes, a private lesson sounds ideal."

"Very well, then." He smiled and started to lead Edd towards the opposite end of the room. "My name is Lewis."

"I'm E-" Edd cut himself off before he could say his real name, quickly deciding it best to go by his username in this world. He cleared his throat and said, "Sorry. My name is Elrohir."

"Well, Elrohir, I see you are without a staff."

Edd cast a baffled gaze at his hands as if he had just realized this. "Oh… I guess I never found the time to go out and purchase one."

"No matter." Before they reached the doors to the back rooms, Lewis stopped at a cabinet full of spare mage staffs, all of which had gnarled, worn-out appearances that clearly displayed their long years of overuse.

After handing one of these ancient staffs to Edd, Lewis explained, "It would be best if you purchased your own staff as soon as possible. Practice is always easier with a staff you are connected to."

"Connected?" Edd repeated as he weighed the staff in both hands.

"When you go to purchase your staff, you will know which one is best for you. A magical connection is forged between a mage and his staff; it chooses its master no different than the master chooses it. Once you find your staff, it will answer to you and you alone."

Edd blinked in wonder, finding himself both confused and fascinated by Lewis's explanation.

"In the meantime…" Lewis smiled again and opened the door to a vacant room. "What is it you would like to be taught?"

As he entered the room, which was about the same size as an ordinary classroom, Edd answered, "For the time being, I'm mostly interested in defensive techniques."

"Well, many of the first-level Alteration spells include the use of magical armor or temporary light sources."

"I suppose that's as fair a starting point as anything else," Edd said with a little smile.

Lewis nodded and took a seat, motioning for Edd to sit in the chair across from his. "Why don't we start with the most basic Alteration spell? I'm going to teach you to produce a small candlelight."

"Fair enough, though I do have one question," Edd replied as he sat and faced his mentor. "Is this technique the same one used for combat skills?"

"No. Spells use magical energy -or _mana_- whereas your light powers use elemental energy. As such, to illuminate a darkened area using your light powers, even the simplest ones, would require a constant drain of energy; but by using a spell, you need only exert mana once and the light will last for at least a full minute without further strain on your behalf."

"So spells that generate light can be cast by a mage from any land."

"Precisely."

"I see." Edd nodded, further conveying that he understood. "Well, let's begin."

* * *

Several minutes passed as Lewis explained every little detail that had to go into this simple spell. Edd had a difficult time grasping it all even though this was the easiest Alteration spell he could possibly cast. Knowing this made him realize that if he didn't wrap his head around the concept of magic soon, all the other spells wouldn't be any easier.

But for now, he was willing and even a little excited to attempt it. With Lewis watching closely, Edd held his temporary staff tightly in his right hand and focused, praying beyond all reason that this would work.

"Now remember," Lewis instructed. "Tap into your center. Let the energy flow through your arm and into your staff. Imagine the light you wish to create. Then gently wave your staff and say '_Lumos._'"

Edd nodded and closed his eyes, focusing his energy on the core of his being. He willed that energy through his arm, creating a strangely warm sensation that could've just been brought on by anxiety. His staff suddenly felt a little heavier than before. After swallowing silently, Edd bobbed the staff once and, mustering as much confidence as he could, uttered the spell. "_Lumos._"

From behind his closed eyelids, the blackness that Edd saw turned a lighter shade of grey. Feeling slightly more hopeful, he opened his eyes, shocked to see the ball of light hovering just above his staff.

Lewis smiled and nodded. "Well done, Elrohir."

Edd couldn't help but smile despite himself. Ordinarily, seeing someone perform this kind of inconceivable feat -let alone seeing _himself_ perform it- would baffle Edd. But for some reason, his eternal debate of whether or not this was real became the farthest thing from his mind and all that really mattered was that he had _done something._ Nevermind that what he just did was considered impossible by Earth standards. He just demonstrated an act of willpower, and it was _glorious._

He walked around the room for a bit, watching with fascination as his little ball of light hovered by his side. It lasted for a minute, then fizzled out and vanished. Edd turned his smile on Lewis and said, "I-I did it…"

"You certainly did."

"I…" Edd looked down at his temporary staff. "I cast a spell."

"Would you like to continue?" Lewis chuckled.

Edd turned back to him, not quite sure how to respond. But Lewis's smile of encouragement helped to boost Edd's confidence. Real or not, he had powers in this world, and now that he had gotten this far, he suddenly felt excited to see what else he was capable of.

"Yes…" Edd answered, sitting back down. "What's next?"

"I suggest we move on to magical armor."

"Sounds wonderful."

Fifteen minutes later, Edd was on his feet again, repeating the mental steps to spell casting, focusing this time on surrounding himself with a protective barrier. He kept his eyes open this time, wanting to see this for himself. With a gentle wave of his staff and a surprisingly confident cry of "_Ocku Cara!_" a shroud of white covered Edd's torso. When it was lifted, a semi-transparent shroud with a pattern like oak wood had been adorned over his robe.

Edd couldn't stop himself from letting out a giddy laugh, after which he covered his mouth and apologized.

"No need to be so embarrassed," Lewis said with amusement. "You're learning fast. You should be proud of that."

After sixty seconds, the armor vanished and Edd gave his mentor a gentle smile. "I can't believe this. I… I never would've imagined I was actually capable of something this fantastical."

Lewis returned the smile, stood up and grabbed Edd's shoulder. "You have so much to learn, Elrohir. This is only the beginning, the most basic spells. There is so much more that you are capable of, so many more possibilities for you. And in due time, you will do so much more than you could imagine."

Edd's eyes glimmered with hope. "I… I… I don't know what to say. I feel so unworthy to possess such abilities."

"Many before you have felt the same way." Lewis's grin widened warmly. "I've taught my fair share of mages. I've known students who were overjoyed by magic and those who were terrified of it. But I've never met a mage so willing to learn, so strong in both the heart and the mind. I know we've only worked together for one session, but trust me when I say that I can see great things in store for you."

"You think so?"

"I _know_ so."

Edd was stunned speechless. He knew that some miniscule, arrogant part of his psyche had always wanted to believe that he was destined for greatness, but to hear someone with powers beyond his understanding tell him that he had the potential to do… in a sense, _anything,_ was the most encouraging thing Edd had ever been told.

He looked down at the staff in his hand. In this world, Edd had power. He had opportunities that were once out of reach. It had taken him until now to realize that this really was the chance for him to discover what he was actually made of, to become something greater. Elysium was the gateway to fulfillment.

Then again…

The reality of the situation once again dawned on Edd. Despite what this world had to offer, he still wanted to know how he got here and if there was any way to get him back home. "Lewis?"

"Yes?"

"Um…" Edd quickly reconsidered his sudden decision to explain his plight to the mage. Would he understand? Did he know anything about the world Edd was from? The last thing he needed was to make this more complicated than it already was, and even if there _was_ a chance that Lewis could help, this was his, Ed and Eddy's problem to deal with.

"N-Nevermind…" Edd finally said. "It's nothing important at the moment."

Lewis looked Edd over with concern. "Are you sure?"

"Positive…" He handed the staff to Lewis. "I think that's enough for today. I'll purchase my own staff and return tomorrow."

"Very well…" As he led Edd out of the classroom, Lewis said, "I hope to work with you again."

"As do I," Edd agreed.

With that, Edd left Alteration class and casually strolled down the hall, feeling rather pleased with himself. Maybe Ed and Eddy were right; as long as they were in Elysium, he might as well take advantage of the abilities he now possessed. There was plenty of time to find a way home, and until that time came, Edd was free to increase his skill and explore what he could.

Now wasn't the time to question. Now was the time to learn.

* * *

"Well, shoot, that was a letdown!" Eddy whined. "We actually get to meet the king and he insists he can't talk because Double D's too chicken to join us!"

Ed smiled as he watched the Thunder Lands (which they had stopped at so that Ed could change into a fresh set of armor) disappear behind the trolley. He chuckled and pictured an image of Edd transforming himself into a chicken before he asked, "How do we get him to go?"

"Hopefully he'll grow a backbone if we tell him we're going to speak with the king, and after that he can go straight back to school and learn a thing or two."

"What do you think the king wants to tell us?"

Eddy took a deep breath. "Obviously it has something to do with that special mission we agreed to. I bet it's something like slaying a dragon…"

"Cool."

"…or defeating some kind of army of darkness…"

"Epic."

"…or something like that. Hopefully nothing lame like negotiating a peace treaty or some other political crap."

"Heh… You said 'army of darkness'."

"I just hope we can talk Double D into participating, cause I'll admit it, those mage spells are gonna be pretty awesome to witness."

"Bruce Campbell is cool."

"I bet that little paci… pa… paci_fier?_ Whatever. I bet he's still cooped up in the library trying to find a way to ruin our fun. We gotta talk him out of getting us back home too soon. What do you think, Ed?"

"That new _Evil Dead _remake is overrated."

"Will you stop thinking about Sam Raimi and _focus?!_"

Ed hunched up shamefully and nodded. "Well… Do you think we could meet up with Double D at a tavern or something? I'm hungry."

His comment made Eddy aware of his own empty stomach. "Yeah, that sounds like a good idea. But how…?"

Eddy brightened up in a light bulb moment. "Oh, man, I can't believe we forgot about the postal carriers!"

Ed returned the smile upon their mutual realization. In Elysium, private messages were delivered by trained birds, much like carrier pigeons in the World Wars or the owls in _Harry Potter._ Surely that was still in effect in this real-life version of the game.

"We gonna have a bird send him a letter to meet us at a tavern?" Ed asked.

"I don't see why not," Eddy agreed.

Their decision was finalized when, sure enough, they found the Lux Village posthouse shortly after leaving the trolley station. Encouraged by how much they were catching on, Eddy wrote the letter to be delivered to Edd, telling him to meet them at a little place called the Silver Star, and watched as it was carried away by a white bird.

With that settled, Eddy strolled over to the Silver Star tavern, where Ed had already picked a table for the trio. The lump looked up from his glass of water and grinned. "Is it on its way?"

"Sure is," Eddy replied as he sat down. "Think we're allowed to drink in this world?"

Ed simply shrugged and turned around to get a good look at the menu hanging over the bar.

While he was facing that way, he caught sight of something odd. "Eddy?"

Eddy didn't reply, instead opting to follow his friend's gaze and figure out what was worrying him.

Someone had just walked into the tavern, someone who typically preceded trouble. He was tall, pale, had shoulder-length brown and silver hair and wore a tattered black robe. The hood pulled over his messy head did little to hide the fact that he was a vampire. Upon entering, he walked over to a table consisting of a few similarly dressed men and whispered something to them.

"I don't like it," Eddy murmured, to which Ed nodded in agreement.

"What do we do?"

"You wait here for Double D." Eddy stood up. "I'll check it out."

Ed solemnly watched him walk out of the tavern, knowing full well what Eddy was about to do.

* * *

**Guide to Elysium:**

Humans

Humans have lived on Pan as far back as history can trace. No one is too sure what force brought them here. Most choose to believe that they are one of the parent races, as they, along with elves and fairies, have had some of the greatest impact on the shaping of Pan and Elysium; this belief, referred to as Triginism, was perhaps the greatest cause of prejudice towards vampires and lycanthropes during and before the Nox Reign, particularly from humans. Some believe the Escapism theory, which states that humans came from the same realm as Pan's creator, Garran, who brought them to Pan to rescue them from their dying world. Still others choose to believe the Uniginism theory, which states that all sentient species were descended from one parent species, referred to as _Aedifex omnes_, and humans evolved from the weaker of the species; most who believe this are notably _not_ human.

There are those who claim that humans are the weakest of all of Elysium's inhabitants, mostly because they tend to have the shortest lifespans. Many humans do not seem bothered by this, claiming that immortality or otherwise incredibly long lives are burdens they would rather not carry, especially considering that their earliest recorded history traces back to the Pax Reign, a decidedly uneventful period of time. The concept of the afterlife, which no one but those already gone have seen, is viewed as freedom from the struggles of Pan and peace for their weary souls, something that those burdened with eternal life on Pan may never know. Their short lives, which typically don't last longer than a hundred years, drives the human spirit to actively seek adventure and shape their destiny; they are restless and never content to settle with a single fate. Because of this, humans perhaps have the strongest willpower of all creatures in Elysium, always ready to fight for their lives and their beliefs.

Even though humans don't live on Pan as long as elves or fairies, there's no denying their important role in Elysium and their status as strong, noble warriors. Their legacy is highly revered, and their stories are numerous and sure to continue for years to come.


	6. Darkness Approaches

**Chapter 6: Darkness Approaches**

The doors to St. Eos Academy were pushed open, and from out of the castle stepped Edd, looking much happier than he was when he first went in. His blue eyes were looking up at the dusk sky as he leisurely strolled through the courtyard, the gardens and mosaic paths illuminated by gas lanterns. He giggled slightly when a flower petal fluttered down from a tree and landed in his hair.

Now that he was outside and in a calmer state than before, Edd took the time to acknowledge Elysium's beauty. The air was clean, the sky was free of the light pollution that plagued human society, and the nature around him felt more alive than any plant he had ever seen. He was quickly starting to feel genuinely privileged to be in this picturesque land.

Just as he was leaving the school grounds, a bird started noisily chirping overhead. Edd watched as it circled him as if to get his attention, and the note tied to its leg helped him catch on. "Oh… For me?"

The little white bird tweeted once more and landed on Edd's outstretched hand. He used his free hand to untie the letter, and once he had it, the bird flew away and he opened it, allowing himself a smile for his insight before reading it.

_Hey there, Sockolas.  
Come on down to the Silver Star tavern ASAP. It's not too far from the estates. Ed and I have big news.  
~Eito_

Edd blinked a few times at the letter, only slightly miffed by the nickname but more or less unsure what to think. Just when he finally got over his worries, Ed and Eddy had _more_ news for him? What other absurdity could've possibly occurred on this godforsaken day?

Well, only one way to find out. With no way around this, Edd stuffed the note into his satchel and headed into town, scanning the streets for the aforementioned tavern.

In his walk, he happened to come across a mage shop with several fancy staffs on display in the window. He stopped briefly and stared inside, knowing he'd go in there sooner or later.

Just what was this "big news" Eddy was alluding to? Did it involve their quest? Would Edd be forced to leave the village? Would he have to do something the very moment he showed up? Now that he had knowledge of a couple defensive spells, Edd actually felt even less safe having no staff to execute them.

Should he do it? Should he put it off for now?

Edd sighed. Ed and Eddy could wait a little longer.

He pushed the door open and walked inside, looking around at the multitude of mage staffs lined up on rack after rack. Each one was whittled differently in intricate designs, ranging from gnarled to smooth. They each had a label that identified their wood and their core; wood types ranged from ash to oak to cherry to mahogany to so many others, and most cores were made of either a dragon heartstring, phoenix feather or unicorn tail hair among others. Edd eyed each one with uncertainty, wondering which one to pick and which one would respond to him in the way Lewis had described.

He experimentally picked up a hawthorn staff and weighed it one hand at a time. It seemed nice, but it just felt like a dead weight to him. After giving it one last look, he put it back, then he grabbed a poplar staff. The empty feeling in his hand was no more encouraging, so he put it away as well. He tried a couple more times, finding no luck, not even in the promising looking willow staff he eventually came across.

Finally, Edd saw it. He didn't even have to pick it up to feel the connection it already had with him. Sitting before him was a swirled brown staff identified as hazel with a unicorn tail hair core. It stood out to him in a way none of the other staffs did, and the moment he grabbed it, Edd was moved to his core. That flow of power he felt before returned stronger than ever. In this one moment, Edd felt like he could move the world, like he had reached nirvana.

This was it. This was the key to unlocking his inner self.

With a smile wider than his face, Edd walked up to the counter and set the staff down, almost sad to let it go. "I'm ready to pay."

The drake behind the counter turned to him and grinned. "You found what you needed?"

"I did indeed."

He inspected the staff for a moment, figuring out an ideal price. "Very well. Two gold."

Edd wasn't quite expecting that, but it seemed reasonable. He'd still have twenty-three gold doles left. That said, he pulled the two coins out and handed them to the drake. "Thank you, sir. Have a good evening."

"Same to you."

With his new staff in hand, Edd walked out of the shop and continued on his way, feeling a little more upbeat and ready to hear this news that Ed and Eddy had. After a day like today, he was also excited just to see his friends again. Maybe their company could help him further ease his mind.

"Ah, here we are," Edd said aloud when he finally came across the Silver Star tavern. He wasn't even close to the building when something forced him to a halt.

Someone was on the roof of the building, someone that Edd quickly realized was Eddy. From this angle, he appeared to be sitting cross-legged with his eyes closed, unmoving. The confusing sight drew Edd closer to the tavern. "Eddy!"

Eddy did not reply.

"Eddy, down here!" Edd waved his hands, attempting to get his attention. Still nothing. Eventually Edd gave up and went inside, hoping Ed would know what was going on.

It didn't take long for him to spot Ed. Likewise, Ed quickly looked up from the sandwich he was eating and waved for Edd to join him at the table. "Hi, Double D!"

Edd ignored the fact that Ed had spoken with his mouth full and sat down. "I'm glad to see you again, Ed."

"Me too!" Ed finally swallowed and made note of the object in Edd's hand. "Ooh, you got a staff! Do like!"

"Thank you." Edd set his staff down, letting it lean against the table. "I just bought it. Now… are you aware that Eddy is…?"

"On the roof?" Ed finished. "Yep. He's probably meditating."

"…What for?"

"When ninjas meditate, they can send their astral projections out of their body. This way they can tap into other planes, absorb ethereal energy to heal themselves, or…"

Ed paused, looked over his shoulder, then turned back to Edd and gestured for him to lean in closer. Edd held his breath and did so.

"…they can spy on people like a ghost," Ed whispered. "Eddy's projection is spying on this group that came in here earlier."

"Group?" Edd whispered back. "Who? Why?"

"They all wore black robes and most of them were vampires. They seemed like no-good-doers, and they just went down into the basement before you came. Me and Eddy didn't trust 'em."

Edd nodded and backed away. "Well, we'll take that in stride, I suppose. In the meantime, Eddy said that you had news?"

"Oh, yeah!" Ed perked back up. "We got to go talk to the king!"

Edd's eyes widened in shock. "Th-The king? Why? What did he say?"

"We don't know yet. We were just invited to meet him, but he told us to come back with a mage." Ed poked his buddy's arm in a sort of wink-wink nudge-nudge gesture.

"You… You mean he wants to speak with the three of us?"

"Uh-huh! Isn't that so cool?!"

Edd's gaze dropped to the wooden table. He only now noticed the cup of soup sitting in front of him. "Oh! What's this?"

"Potato soup. Got it for you," Ed answered.

"Thank you, Ed." Feeling rather starved from today's events, Edd graciously scooped up a spoonful and tasted it, finding the soup much more pleasing than he expected. After a few more sips, he continued, "This is about that special quest we were offered, I assume."

Ed beamed and nodded.

"Hmm… It would be nice to finally be told why we were sent here. It wouldn't answer _how,_ but still…"

"So you'll come?"

Edd sighed, amused by Ed's unwavering enthusiasm. "I suppose an opportunity like this doesn't come often."

"Hooray!" Ed's outburst turned a few heads. Edd waited until they returned to their personal affairs before speaking up again.

"After all, I doubt a simple trip to the king's castle will be anywhere near life-threatening, and I've learned a few spells either way."

"You've started learning spells?" Ed swooned like a proud father.

"Just a few simple Alteration spells. I felt like I needed some way to adapt to this world." He looked down at his new staff. "…I also wanted to know if I could actually perform magic."

"And you did, right?"

"I did. It's strange… the more I look into it, the more natural it feels. It's as though I've never been as in touch with something as I am with the magic this world grants me."

"See, Double D?" Ed encouragingly shook his elf friend's arm. "You're a mage, no questions asked!"

Edd smiled at Ed's words. Just then, Eddy worriedly entered the tavern and sat down between the two. He spoke quickly, barely pausing between sentences…

"Hey guys. Nice staff, Double D. Ed, we got a problem."

Ed leaned in with interest. Edd followed suit.

"It's worse than we thought," Eddy whispered. "Those guys are talking about assassinating the king."

Ed gasped. "The fiends!"

"SHH-sh-sh-sh!" Eddy anxiously waved his hands around Ed's big mouth. "There's about ten of 'em down there; six or seven are definitely vamps."

"Are we gonna stop them, Eddy?"

"Forgive me, Ed, but you and Eddy aren't strong enough to challenge a mostly-vampire group of ten," Edd reasoned.

"Hey, come on," Eddy retorted. "We wiped out eight orcs in nothing flat today."

"All at once?"

Edd's response shut Ed and Eddy up relatively quickly.

"If you confront them alone, they'll attack you as a group, and these aren't just creatures whose only purpose is to slaughter; these are skilled fighters with the same abilities as you and I, perhaps with even more so."

"Yeah…" Eddy awkwardly kicked his leg around, embarrassed to admit that Edd was right. "Plus, you did already wolf out today, Ed."

Ed whined with disappointment.

Turning back to Edd, Eddy continued, "But couldn't we just rally up the people around here to help us?"

"The last thing we need is to start a full-fledged battle in the middle of a civilized area," Edd replied.

"Well, then, how about we _tell_ someone about it first?!" Eddy snapped in an attempt to please him. "I mean, we gotta do _something_ about this!"

Edd narrowed his eyes, finding Eddy's outburst unnecessary. "I suppose that would be our safest route."

"_Thank you!_"

"Time to bring down some justice?" Ed whispered.

"I guess…" Eddy grumbled.

Edd placed a hand on his ninja friend's shoulder. "Eddy, I think you've handled enough violence today. We should leave this to those with more experience."

"Yeah, yeah, whatever…"

"Why don't you go keep watch by the basement doors?"

Eddy pushed his seat back and stood up. "If it gives me _something_ to do."

As he watched him leave, Ed finished his sandwich and asked, "Why would they want to kill King Raphael?"

"There will always be people seeking to eliminate those with a position of power," Edd sighed, "whether it be for their beliefs or their ambitions."

"Should we tell him when we go back to the castle?"

"I do believe he deserves to know the situation."

Ed nodded and watched Edd eat the rest of his potato soup. Once finished, they both stood up. "We should inform the tavern owner," Edd said.

"Righty-o," Ed agreed.

With that, the two walked up to the bar, where Ed quickly got the attention of the man working behind it. "Hey, mister!"

The bartender turned around and raised an eyebrow at Ed. He was a large human man with a dirty, unshaved face, a large bald spot in the middle of his ratty orange hair, and hair covering every inch of his bare arms. Edd was unnerved by the man, but Ed was naturally unfazed.

"Yes, um…" Edd spoke up. "Could we by chance speak with whoever is in charge?"

"Sure," the man grunted. He moved over to a nearby door, pushed it open and shouted, "Roz! Some kids wanna talk to you!"

As he waited, Edd noticed for the first time that the tavern didn't smell all that pleasant. He had grown used to animal scents over the years, living on the same street as Rolf and his menagerie, but this place smelled like a cow farm in a locker room. This, coupled with the bartender's dirty appearance, made Edd realize that, what with Elysium being reminiscent of a medieval kingdom, these people probably bathed about three times a month. Would he have to do the same? The thought made Edd's stomach churn, and it only worsened when he started asking who had handled their food.

Eventually, the apparent owner of the tavern emerged. She was human, and while her body was far less repulsive than the bartender's, her attitude was clearly no better. "Yes?"

Edd cleared his throat and tried to find the right words. "W-We're sorry to intrude, ma'am… but my colleagues and I wanted to inform you that-"

"There are vampires in your basement that wanna kill the king!" Ed finished, causing Edd to cringe; he calmed down once it was clear that no one else had heard him.

Roz tilted her head, looking somewhat concerned but mostly unconvinced. "Are you certain?"

"Yeah." Ed pointed towards the basement door. "Our friend heard them say so. He's a ninja."

"Please, we're not asking you to believe us," Edd continued. "We just feel that someone should investigate, someone with more experience than us."

Roz pursed her lips and mulled it over. "The basement, you say?"

"Yes, ma'am."

"Very well. I'll gather some men to infiltrate their meeting."

"Thank you."

"And thank you for the information."

Ed smiled, nodded and walked away. Edd followed along, anxious to leave this place. "Okay, let's go get Eddy and get out of here."

"Okay."

They found Eddy stationed by the door to the basement, looking ever alert and straining to hear what was going on downstairs. His eyes flicked over to Ed and Edd as they approached. "What's up?"

"The tavern owner is sending some fighters down to smoke them out," Edd replied. "I suggest we make haste."

"Paste makes waste, Double D," Ed absent-mindedly mumbled.

Eddy rolled his eyes. He _really_ didn't want to skip out on a fight, especially one of this magnitude, but they had other things to worry about. "Alright. Let's head over to the Highlands and-"

_**WHAM**_

Without warning, the basement door swung open, crashing into Eddy and knocking him aside. The robe-wearing group quickly bolted out and made a mad dash for the exit.

"Hey!" Edd called out to everyone in the tavern. "Stop them! Conspirators!"

At his cry, a band of fighters organized by Roz, along with several other random people, got up and chased after the group. Among the pursuers were Ed and, once he recovered from his door-related bruises, Eddy. Edd stopped at the open doorway, watching as the robed men and the ones giving chase scattered across the village, not sure what he should do.

"You will not hurt our king, villainous marauder of the Netherworld!" Ed cried as he charged at one of the assassins, finally managing to tackle and pin him to the ground.

They only made eye contact for a second, but that was all the time Ed needed to know he was a vampire. His sunken eyes were a sickly amber color, his skin was pale and sallow, his hair was dark brown and riddled with split ends, and his open mouth revealed miniscule but still very noticeable fangs.

In a flash, the vampire threw Ed off, turned and tried to make a run for it again. Ed lunged at him again and grabbed his robe, but he tore away, causing part of the black robe to rip off in Ed's grasp. He ignored this and scurried away, disappearing through an alleyway in a distinctly ninja-like manner.

Ed stared obliviously at where the vampire had vanished, then he looked down at the black fabric in his hand. Tucked inside it was a necklace of some kind, which had most likely been torn off of his neck in the struggle. Its design was that of a swirling galaxy of stars surrounding what looked to Ed like a black hole.

"Darn it, darn it, _darn it!_"

At Eddy's familiar griping, Ed stood back up and faced his ninja friend as he approached. "I almost had that guy! Stupid vampires. They can all just burn for all I care!"

"Hey, Eddy…"

Before Ed could continue, Edd ran over to them and asked, "Did they get away?"

"Knowing those leeches, most likely," Eddy grumbled.

"Oh dear… Just one more thing to worry about."

"Hey, guys, lookie here!" Ed said, showing them the pendent he won in his brief squabble.

Edd carefully took the pendent and closely studied its intricate design. "Interesting. You swiped this from the man you were pursuing, yes?"

Ed nodded.

"Well, top notch, Ed. We can give this to the king to provide a clue as to who those people were."

"And if we need to," Eddy added, "we can track 'em using the scent on that cloth you got."

"_If_ we need to," Edd reemphasized, tucking the pendent into his satchel. "For the time being, though, what say we make our way to the castle."

"Now we're talking!" Eddy replied, excitedly making his way to the trolley station.

"Destiny's child is at our door, guys!" Ed cheered as he quickly followed.

Edd simply smiled and ran after them. An audience with the king awaited them. After everything that had happened today, this seemed like an interesting way to wrap it up.

* * *

"Wow…" Ed silently breathed. "It looks even cooler in the moonlight."

Edd stared up at the glorious castle, a mixture of emotions brewing within him. He'd never spoken with someone in this great a position of power, regardless of whether Raphael was a mere game element or a real being. This was rather exciting, but also very nerve-wracking.

"Well, let's get on with it!" Eddy insisted, giving the front doors a loud knock.

The doors opened and revealed two guards flanking one of the king's advisors, and once he saw him, Eddy was quickly struck with dread. "Aw, no…"

"Good evening, gentlemen!" Calhoun cheerfully greeted the trio. "It's wonderful to have you back!"

"Hiya, Calhoun!" Ed replied; if he still felt awkward around the shadow fairy, he did a good job at hiding it.

"And I see you've brought a mage with you this time," Calhoun continued.

"Yes," Edd replied, offering a handshake. "My name is Elrohir."

"Pleasure to meet you young man." Calhoun accepted Edd's hand, only to kiss it rather than shake it. The gesture made Edd withdraw in disgust and confusion; his reddened face made Eddy snicker.

Blissfully unaware of Edd's embarrassment, Calhoun pushed the doors open further. "Well, do come in."

Eddy quickly circled around Calhoun and walked down the corridor, closely followed by Ed and Edd, both of whom were outwardly nonchalant. Ed and Eddy, of course, were excited as heck, but as the doors to the throne room drew closer, Edd's nervousness doubled. He nearly jumped two feet when one of the guards behind them started coughing and wheezing, clearly displaying signs of illness.

Finally, once they reached the doors, the guards pushed them open and motioned for the Eds to enter. They slowly did so, alone this time, and were once again swept into the gorgeous throne room. They stopped at the bottom of the velvet-lined staircase to the throne, bowing in their respective manners.

King Raphael was standing in front of his throne, smiling that youthful smile down at the three boys. "Welcome back, gentlemen. You may stand."

The Eds straightened up, two of them as best as their shaky legs would allow.

"You must be the mage friend Edon and Eito had alluded to," Raphael said to Edd.

"Y-Yes, Your M-Majesty," Edd stuttered. "I… I am El- Elra- Elrohir."

Raphael smiled, amused and -hopefully- understanding of Edd's awkward humility. He descended the stairs and continued, "Thank you for coming. You must understand that you have been brought here under grave circumstances."

Ed's eyes widened with interest. A lump rose in Edd's throat. Eddy, his expression unchanging, quickly spoke up, "Okay, wait a moment. There's something we gotta say first."

Edd visibly cringed, hoping Raphael wasn't offended by Eddy's interruption. Fortunately, he may have been caught off guard, but he seemed willing to listen. "Very well."

"When we met up in Lux Village, we came across this mostly-vampire group that I know for sure was talking about bumping you off."

Obviously, Eddy's vocabulary confused the king. "Bump… me…?"

"He means they planned to assassinate you," Edd translated.

Raphael's eyebrows rose with concern. "Goodness… And you're certain about this?"

"Heard them say it myself," Eddy replied.

"And I snatched this off of one of them," Ed added, holding up the black and white pendant and offering it to the king.

He politely took it and studied its design. "Tell me more about this group."

"Well, like I said," Eddy picked up, "most of 'em were vampires, plus some elves and maybe a human or two. There were about ten altogether, and they all wore black robes and looked like they hadn't seen the light of day in their lifetimes. We tried to chase 'em, but they got away."

"We're not sure if they're still in Lux Village or if they've fled," Edd continued.

Raphael nodded in understanding. "Thank you, gentlemen. This information should prove beneficial. If you would excuse me for a moment, I feel I should inform my men before this slips my mind."

As he left the throne room, Edd couldn't help but wonder how the king would forget something as serious as an attempt on his own life. Was the reason for bringing the trio here so grandiose that it would overshadow any other information?

"Bless you!" Ed shouted, his sensitive ears picking up a sneeze from one room over. "Bless you again! Bless your face!"

"Yeesh…" Eddy reeled. "Whatever his daughter caught, it must be pretty nasty."

A minute or so later, Raphael returned. "Thank you for waiting. Now that this matter is settled for the time being, come with me."

Raphael turned and signaled for the boys to follow him. They obliged with varying degrees of reluctance, walking silently towards a large wooden door at the back of the throne room. With great effort, Raphael unlocked and pulled open the door, revealing a descending stone staircase that turned pitch-black halfway down.

"Elrohir, if you would…" Raphael politely ordered.

It took Edd a while to figure out what was being implied. "Oh, yes. Right." He held up his staff. "_Lumos._"

When the ball of light appeared over his staff, Edd couldn't help but notice how much easier casting the spell was and how the surge of power flowing through him felt stronger. Clearly what Lewis had said about the connection between a mage and his personal staff versus the generic classroom staff was in some way true.

"Thank you." Now that they had light, Raphael led the trio down the stairs. Without a handrail, great caution had to be taken to avoid slipping on the slick stone, which Ed nearly failed at three times.

Upon reaching the bottom, the Eds discovered that this cavern had been worked on to the point where it looked like vacated a coal mine. Wooden supports had been built into the stone every few meters, and a few unlit lamps lined the walls here and there. Up ahead, it looked to them that something had been etched into the walls.

Eddy was the first to speak up. "What is this place?"

"This is-"

Before Raphael could answer him, Edd's light went out. "Oh, drat! _Lumos._" The light quickly reappeared. "Sorry."

"Not to worry." Raphael picked up a nearby lantern and held it up to Eddy, who quickly caught on and ignited a flame inside it.

As he continued to lead them down the stone hall, Raphael explained, "This is the Cave Beyond Time, Elysium's record of prophecies come, gone and soon to be."

The Eds looked around in wonder. As they walked deeper into the cave, painting after painting started to appear on the walls, and each one clearly represented a significant event in Elysium's history. The strange thing was, while the words written -typically in either English or Elvish- beneath many of them were obviously carved into the rock, the pictures themselves didn't seem to show any signs of a hand-crafted design. They looked as though they were _part_ of the stone.

"Who made these?" Edd asked in a hushed voice.

"They appear on their own," Raphael answered. "Our priests merely interpret what they mean."

Ed leaned closer to one of the images, that of a fairy in the middle of a blizzard with six tallies next to it. "Hey, this was the prophecy that foretold of the Great Winter War and how it would be ended by the sixth descendent of Peridot Jaywing, one of Elysium's founders!"

"You certainly know your history," Raphael chuckled.

Edd and Eddy looked back at Ed, thoroughly shocked by his knowledge. Then again, it shouldn't have surprised them; fantasy was Ed's shtick, after all. He had more than likely familiarized himself with Elysium's expanded universe when the game was released.

"So let me guess," Eddy spoke up. "One of these prophecies relates to us, huh?"

"Eddy, manners," Edd whispered sharply. "You're speaking with a _king._"

If Raphael heard that quip, he didn't show it. "Indeed, you three appear to apply to the descriptions of the most recent prophecy."

Ed suddenly stopped, and since he was at the back of the group, only Edd noticed this. "Ed, we mustn't waste t-"

Without a word, Ed grabbed Edd's robe and pulled him closer to the wall so he could see what he was looking at.

Edd's jaw dropped in awe at the sight of the picture. Standing before what appeared to be a crack in the earth were the images of three men; one was a lycanthrope in a warrior's uniform wielding the element of shock, one was an elf with a mage staff and control over light, and the other was a human ninja controlling fire. And as if that wasn't bizarre enough, everything about the men in the painting, right down to their physical attributes and uniform colors, were spitting images of the Eds.

"Hey! Wayward sons! Get your tails in gear!"

Eddy's shouts drew them out of their trance. They quickly regrouped with the king, who looked rather confused by Eddy's vocabulary.

"Our apologizes," Edd murmured. "Minor distraction."

"Understood," Raphael replied.

"Boy, this place is deep," Ed spoke up. "I feel like we're in the cave from _Tomb of the Mantis Beast Issue 3: Into the Lair of Despair._"

"Pardon?" Raphael questioned. "I'm not familiar this story."

"Don't worry about it," Eddy said. "He's just talking about another one… of… his…"

He trailed off when the group passed by another surprising image. It was the same trio, reminiscent of the Eds in every way, this time standing before a massive tidal wave. Eddy was filled with the same sense of curiosity as Ed and Edd; this time, however, they only gave the prophecy a passing glace and moved along.

"Your Majesty?" Edd asked. "We've noticed that twice now, there have been prophecies displaying images of people with similar attributes as us."

"History repeats itself, Elrohir," Raphael explained. "That is why we need you."

At last, the group reached their destination at the very last prophecy to be inscribed. The Eds stared in silence at the image of the same trio standing among pitch-blackness, managing to penetrate it by means of their respective element. However, something was different about this image, and it wasn't just the fact that there was nothing carved beneath it. It seemed more… _alive_ than the other ones, like this simple picture knew more than they did and was affecting the very atmosphere around them.

They each felt it. There was some kind of connection between them and the image.

"So that's us, huh?" Eddy mumbled, a hint of nervousness in his voice.

"It would seem so," Raphael responded. "You three resemble past heroes that have been reincarnated throughout the ages, and each incarnation has committed valiant acts to protect Elysium from certain destruction. From what we understand, there will soon come a time when Elysium will face the threat of being plunged into eternal darkness."

"And we gotta stop it?" Ed breathed.

"Precisely." The king looked directly into each Ed's eyes. "This is your destiny, gentlemen. This is why you've been brought here. You are the Ninja of Faith, the Mage of Hope, and the Warrior of Love. And you are going to save Elysium."

Eddy was in shock, not sure how to feel. Ed's grin widened beyond its natural length. Edd's staff fell to the floor, shortly followed by Edd himself.

* * *

**Guide to Elysium:**

Elves

Many of Elysium's inhabitants believe that elves were the very first species to inhabit Pan; the space of time between their awakening and that of humans and fairies is up for debate. Like humans, elves are typically thought to be one of the parent races that have existed since Pan's creation. Most elves choose to follow Triginism or Uniginism, the latter stating that all sentient creatures are descended from theoretical beings called _Aedifex omnes_, and that elves evolved from the purest of the species. In the pre-Elysium days, particularly the Viride Reign, this belief caused tension between humans and elves that would last until the Great Migration that took place during the Nox Reign.

Elves are naturally immortal; as such, they cease physical aging at a certain point in their adult years and can recover from wounds more easily than a human. Nonetheless, they _can_ be slain or die of grief and weariness. In the earliest days of Pan, elves devoted themselves to living peaceful lives, avoiding danger so that they could take advantage of their immortality. They became the first known writers, poets, musicians and artists, and today's science and mathematics can at least be partially credited to them. However, as ill will between humans and elves escalated into a full-fledged conflict, elves began training themselves in battle and magic. Since then, elves have proven to be great strategists and noble fighters, and their infamous balance of brawn and brain lives on to this day.

Though the feud between elves and men have waned since Elysium's founding, elves continue to prove that they are a proud, flourishing race. Their impact on science and the arts has had just as much influence as their tact and war stories, and as time goes on, they are sure to only grow stronger.

* * *

A/N: Well, well, plot points galore! We've now been introduced to the setup for two threads, including the main one, and received hints about a third, which I'm sure you can easily guess. Anyway, hang tight for chapter 7 and don't forget to review!


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